(Stevia rebaudiana)
Tender perennial
2’ tall x 2’ wide
Full Sun
Never heard of this herb? Don’t shop at health food stores? Well you got a lot of catching up to do.
Known as the sweet herb, stevia is a native to Paraguay, is 300 times sweeter than sugar, and has no calories. Although you can take a leaf and chew on it, the best way to use this naturally sweet plant is to dry the leaves and grind them up. Or you can make a liquid extract by steeping ¼ cup of fresh, crushed leaves in 1 cup of water. Let stand for 24 hours before staining and refrigerating the sweet concentrate. A little goes a loooong way.
Stevia likes to grow in rich moist soil, but can’t stand sitting in water. Because it is a tender perennial, I suggest growing it in a pot so it can be moved indoor during cold spells.
Don’t be fooled into buying the lab-made version (Truvia, Pure Via) of this herb. Considering the malevolent history the FDA has with Aspartame (and stevia itself), you can bet the same is true for this new man-made potion. Why would Cargill go to all the trouble of making a fake stevia? Well they can’t get a patent on one of God’s creations.
For those who don’t want to take the time to read the entire history of Rumsfeld’s Aspartame here is the highlights: Once in the body it breaks down into Methanol, which then converts into Formaldehyde, which gradually causes severe toxicity reactions like; seizures, eye damage, vision loss, confusion, severe migraines, tremors, pancreatitis, and cardiac changes just to name a few. All these are compliments of guess who? Monsanto. If that doesn’t raise a red flag then how about how it is made?
“Aspartame is a deadly carcinogen made from the feces of e coli bacteria that we can’t avoid because it’s an additive in just about every food we eat.” Gotta check those labels people!
12/29/09 addition: Who should burn in hell for bringing this poison to us? Rummy
