Botanical Name - Stevia rebaudiana Category - Medicinal Form - Dry Part Used - Leaves General Information - The herb plant Stevia rebaudiana, a rhizomatous perennial shrub of the sunflower family Asteraceae (Compositae; tribe Eupatorieae), native to Paraguay and Brazil, produces a host of natural sweet-tasting diterpene compounds as secondary metabolites in its leaves. The leaves have been used by local Guaran�­ Indian tribes as a natural sweetener and as traditional medicine for centuries. Phytochemicals - Stevia species are members of the family of Asteraceae (qv). Stevia rebaudiana contains steviol glycosides, such as stevioside and rebaudioside A, used as artificial sweeteners and 100- 300 times sweeter than sucrose. Steviol glycosides were approved as food additives in the USA, Australia, and New Zealand in 2008 and in Europe in 2011. Steviol glycosides are permitted in a large variety of foods and beverages over a wide range of maximum permitted levels. Apart from their sweetness, steviol glycosides, in higher doses and regular consumption, have been claimed to display important pharmacological/therapeutic activities, such as antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, antitumor, diuretic, and gastroprotective (antidiarrheal) activities, and to have immunomodulatory effects and a positive influence on renal function, blood pressure, and blood glucose. They suppress neoplastic growth, improve cell regeneration, and strengthen blood vessels.