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I am also looking for an alternative. Most artificial sweeteners give me side-effects (headaches, intestinal problems) and, a very unpleasant after-taste.

I would be interested in anyone on FR who has used this product, and what they think of it --- good and bad.

Also, what is that throw-away line at the beginning about being a problem with some internal organs. Anyone have any other info on that?

as a health food store owner, I see lots of folks using this product. you can bake with it too, make kool aid, whatever. it varies in quality, as some is bitter and not so good. use sparingly, it is potent.

The active sweetening component of Stevia is stevioside, a glycocide molecule composed of glucose, sophorose and steviol. According to most experts, stevia does not effect blood sugar metabolism and some studies report that stevia reduces plasma glucose levels in normal adults. Stevia has been used for many years in the treatment of diabetes among Indians in Paraguay and Brazil.

Although the specific mechanism is not known, in a study conducted at the Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark, researchers found that stevioside enhances insulin secretion from mouse pancreatic islets in the presence of glucose. The researchers state, "Stevioside stimulates insulin secretion via a direct action on pancreatic beta cells. The results indicate that the compounds may have a potential role as an anti-hyperglycemic agent in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus."

In 1995, Dr. M.S. Melis, from the Department of Biology at the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil, administered extracts of stevia to rats for 20, 40, and 60 days. After 20 days, there were no changes in the stevia-treated rats compared to the control group (the ones that didn't receive the extracts). However, after 40 or 60 days of administering the extract, blood pressure had lowered. Melis also noted a diuretic effect along with loss of sodium. The amount of blood going to the kidneys was increased. In a 1981 Brazilian study, when researcher Boerk gave human volunteers between the ages of 20 and 40 a tea prepared with stevia leaves, a lowering of blood pressure occurred.

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