How to Use a Stevia Plant

You can have a natural sweetener with health benefits when you grow stevia plants or purchase them from the health-food store. Stevia rebaudiana, which has origins in South America, is 30 times sweeter than sugar in its natural, green leaf form and 300 times sweeter than sugar in its concentrated extract form, according to Kansas State University Research and Extension. Stevia plants grow well in tropical climates outdoors but also can be brought indoors during winter. It is essential to keep them warm and moist. Plant stevia cuttings in raised beds to prevent root rot. Stevia seeds have fertility problems, so use cuttings to grow plants. Stevia rebaudiana cuttings are best, as other varieties of stevia do not have the same sweetness. Place stevia plants on a sunny windowsill and care for them as you would houseplants. You can use your plants in numerous ways: to make tea, as sweeteners in recipes, to relieve hypertension, even as a face mask.

Things You'll Need

• String or rubber bands
• Coffee grinder or mortar and pestle
• Glass jar with lid
• Mint leaves

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Instructions

• 1

  Gather branches of stevia plants, bind them using string or rubber bands, and hang them in a dry, cool place on hooks or nails. The leaves will become dry and crisp after about a week. Strip the dry leaves from the branches, grind the stevia leaves using a coffee grinder or a mortar and pestle, and then store the leaves in a covered container, such as a glass jar.

• 2

  Use ground stevia leaves in place of sugar in your food recipes. According to Kansas State University Research and Extension, you can substitute 3/8 tsp. of dry, ground-leaf stevia for 1 tbsp. of sugar, and you can also use 2 tbsp. of ground-leaf stevia to equal 1 cup of sugar. Sprinkle ground stevia on your cereal or in your coffee or tea as a sweetener. The Food and Drug Administration approved stevia for use in the U.S. as a sweetener as of 2008.

• 3

  Eat stevia leaves right off your stevia plants. You can also eat stevia leaves along with mint leaves for a treat.

• 4

  Make stevia tea with fresh or loose, dried stevia leaves. You can also purchase dried stevia leaves or stevia tea bags at the health-food store. Some people claim stevia helps with digestion and soothes stomach upset when consumed in tea form.

• 5

  Mix ¼ cup ground stevia leaves with 1 cup warm water in a glass jar to make your own stevia liquid concentrate. Jan London, author of “Coconut Cuisine, Featuring Stevia,” suggests you allow the ground stevia and water mixture to sit for 24 to 48 hours, and then strain the solution through cheese cloth. Keep the liquid concentrate refrigerated.

• 6

  Apply stevia liquid to your face as a mask. Although not yet supported by scientific studies, stevia might be able to help treat premature aging, acne and other skin problems. Rub a few drops of the whole-leaf stevia liquid concentrate on your skin, leave it on for 30 to 60 minutes, then rinse off. You can also put a drop on a pimple or mouth sore and let it dry.

• 7

  Use stevia plants safely if you have diabetes. Stevia has a low glycemic index, meaning stevia releases glucose slowly into the bloodstream. According to the National Institutes of Health, a 1986 three-day study of 16 normal volunteers at the Universidade de Maringa in Brazil showed extract from stevia leaves significantly reduced blood glucose levels.

• 8

  Use stevia if you have hypertension. Two long-term studies—one a year in length and the other two years long—at Massachusetts General Hospital in April 2010 revealed stevia may effectively lower blood pressure, according to the National Institutes of Health.