Recent study shows that more and more consumers and food and beverage manufacturers are becoming aware and have started endorsing the true value of Stevia and its positive effects on our health. A 21st century consumer is a discerning and a conscience user who recognizes the magnitude of wellbeing. Keeping the end user in mind, Herboveda India’s aim solely is to provide 100% herbal, natural calorie free sugar substance which is extracted from the leaves of a shrub, scientifically known as Stevia Rebaudiana Bertoni, and has been in use for the last 200 years in South America.
Constantly used by ancient civilizations and wise men across the globe, the wondrous Stevia plant is a natural sweetener and has been known to cure a number of ailments like fever, stomatitis, headaches, asthma, thirst, tuberculosis and caries of the teeth.
Being full of glycosides, Stevia is known to reverse diabetes as it helps promote insulin production. Devoid of any added chemicals, Stevia is known to inhibit the growth of oral bacteria and users can also experience a significant decrease in gum diseases.
For centuries, the Guaraní tribes of Paraguay and Brazil used stevia, which they called ka'a he'ê ("sweet herb"), as a sweetener in yerba mate and medicinal teas for treating heartburn and other ailments.
In 1899, The Swiss botanist Moisés Santiago Bertoni first described the plant and the sweet taste in detail. But only limited research was conducted on the topic, until in 1931, two French chemists isolated the glycosides, namely ‘Stevioside’ and ‘Rebaudioside’ that give Stevia its sweet taste.
During WW II, sugar shortages prompted England to begin investigation of stevia for use as a sweetener. Cultivation began under the direction of the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew, but the project was abandoned in the aftermath of the war. Japan began cultivating stevia in hothouses in the 1950's. By the 1970's, Japan started using stevia commercially and today, they are the biggest users of the extract, which has captured 50% of Japan's sweetener industry.