Not just a natural sweetener, but a wonder herb all in itself!
Beware sugar free items at the grocery store. Lowering your sugar intake is a good idea, but you must be careful to avoid toxic artificial sweeteners. Stevia not only is without negative side effects, but it may actually make you healthier in addition to sweetening up your dessert or beverage.
With obesity rates going up and major illnesses such as cancer, diabetes, and depression being linked to sugar people are looking for an answer. Knowledge of the harm caused by chemically synthesized sweeteners such as aspartame, which was originally formulated in a government bio weapons lab, is spreading and even some natural sweeteners like agave syrup are turning out to be not quite as healthy and safe to consume regularly as once thought. The natural answer is stevia, a leafy plant that has been cultivated and used for centuries in South America.
The problem for most people is the fact that stevia tends to have an aftertaste that is not suitable to the discerning pallet. There are extracts and powdered forms of stevia that can be used instead of the crushed leaves and supposedly offer more of the sweetening effect without adding flavor. The best feedback has been from people who use the liquid extract, which is several times sweeter than table sugar but passes very little flavor of the plant on to your food or beverage.
- Tooth decay, mouth sores, and gingivitis can be treated using stevia. Add a few drops to your toothpaste or take a cup of room temp water and add a few drops and use it to gargle as a mouthwash. This can be a great alternative to commercial mouthwashes that actually contain harmful ingredients and toxic flouride which can be absorbed systemically and cause harm throughout the body.
-Adding stevia to your tea or other beverages daily can potentially help with bone health and may benefit people who suffer from osteoporosis. Tests on chickens have shown that, when given stevia regularly, egg shells from the chickens had a much higher calcium content. It is believed that the presence of stevia in the blood stream aids in the absorption of calcuim from our daily diet.
-Applying a mask of crushed stevia leaves and coconut oil for about 15 minutes before going to sleep can help slow aging and repair damaged stressed skin. Powerful antioxidant and antiseptic properties make for significant skin rejuvenation.
-It is believed that adding stevia to your daily routine can help to naturally lower blood pressure.
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