Stevia Side EffectsStevia Rebaudiana SafetyMany people are now wondering what the stevia side effects might be since the FDA has not approved this herb as a food additive. Stevia Rebaudiana Safety Stevia is a perennial shrub (known as stevia rebaudiana) of the aster family that has been used for hundreds of years to sweeten foods and teas. The leaves of the plant contain chemicals called glycosides, the major one being stevioside. Stevioside is used a sweetener in Japan and Korea, where it is recognized as a safe food additive. As such it represents 40% of the Japanese sweetener market, and is even used by multinational food companies like Coca Cola to sweeten its products. However, although stevia safety has been confirmed by numerous scientific studies around the world, the FDA has been doing whatever it can to keep stevia out of the country. They claim that stevia rebaudiana safety has not been confirmed, even though they have been made aware that there are no stevia side effects. The FDA's reluctance to recognize stevia rebaudiana safety is no doubt due to pressure from the powerful sugar industry. They stand to lose millions of dollars if stevia - a safe, powerful and cheap alternative to sugar and artificial sweeteners - gets approved as a food additive in the United States. Many groups are currently protesting the unfair FDA ruling on stevia safety. They claim that the government is requiring more proof that there are no stevia side effects than they do for other additives - including Nutra Sweet. The fact that there is so much evidence of stevia rebaudiana safety and that it is being used in so many parts of the world for so many years should be enough to convince the FDA that there are no stevia side effects. This is just another case of a powerful industry that stands to lose millions of dollars influencing the government to act against their competition. Is Stevia available in the United States? Despite the FDA intervention, stevia is still sold legally in the United States, although with many restrictions. It can be marketed as a dietary supplement, but manufacturers are banned from making any claims as to its use as a sweetener, or any other reference indicating it can be a food additive. The FDA has cracked down hard on many stevia manufacturers that make such claims. Many people with diabetes use stevia as it is several hundred times sweeter than sugar, yet does not effect insulin levels. There are several other natural herbal extracts like stevia that can help treat the many symptoms of diabetes - you can learn about them here. As with all health supplements, make sure you consult a physician or qualified herbal professional before you take stevia tablets or any other stevia product. Much scientific evidence points to the fact that there are no stevia side effects. Even so, the FDA warns of stevia dangers and questions stevia rebaudiana safety. Reports indicating the lack of stevia side effects have been presented to the FDA for review, but the FDA has yet to change their stance on stevia safety. Hopefully, with time the FDA will recognize the lack of stevia side effects and stevia rebaudiana safety and approve this inexpensive, powerful natural herbal extract as a safe food additive in the United States. more than stevia side effects on our medicinal herbs page
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