CATEGORY: foods/healthy
TECHNICAL: **
SUMMARY:
This document provides an in-depth discussion of stevia
rebaudiana. As many of you know, I try to use stevia as a
sweetener exclusively. As this note shows, it is completely
natural, and has been put through a variety of saftey tests.
In fact, as you read, you will see that the substance has actually
demonstrated medicinal value. Even having benefical affects in
regard to diabetes, the cardio-vascular system, and the digestive
tract. I encourage all of you (who are interested) to choose
it over aspartame, saccharine, and common table sugar. After all,
1500 years of safe use is a pretty hard track record to beat.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Life With Stevia: How Sweet It Is!

Nutritional and Medicinal Uses

Daniel Mowrey, Ph.D.

"Life with Stevia: How Sweet It Is!" was reprinted with permission of
the publisher.

Copyright 1992 by Daniel B. Mowry

Life with Stevia: How Sweet It Is! is not intended as medical advice.
Its intention is solely educational. Please consult a medical or health
professsional for medical advice.

When one first observes the plant, nothing particular about it
summons the attention, but when even a small piece of the leaf is placed
in the mouth, one is amazed by its sweetness. A mere fragment of leaf is
enough to sweeten the mouth for an hour. 1

Those few simple words, issued in 1899, opened one of the more
remarkable chapters in the history of botanical science, and introduced
the world at large to a unique and potentially revolutionary plant from
Paraguay known as stevia, or "honey leaf." In South America it is
primarily known as yerba dulce, but among the Guarani Indians of Paraguay,
who have used the plant for centuries, it has a variety of interesting
names: Caa-ehe, Azuca-caa, Kaa-he-e and Ca-a-yupe; most of these names, in
one way or another, draw attention to the sweet, nectar-like flavor of the
leaf. Many Guarani medicinal and nutritional plactices incorporate stevia
in one way or another. The remarkable Guarni possess one of the most
advanced native cultures, in terms of philosophy, nutrition and medicine,
of any similar group in the world. Yet their ways are still only vaguely
understood by other people. A case in point is their use of stevia.

Despite centuries of use by the Indians, it wasn't until 1899 that
the plant was discovered by "civilized" man. M.S. Bertoni (quoted above)
observed that the natives used the plant to sweeten their bitter drinks.
Eventually, Bertoni was to be credited with the discovery of a new
species; in his honor, stevia is now known as Stevia rebaudiana
Bertoni.2-3

It is amazing to contemplate that most of the important herbs and
spices of the world have been known, described, catalogued and used by
diverse populations for several centuries; yet here is one of the most
wonderful plants of world that went undeteected until the turn of this
century. Experts estimate that South America is the source of dozens,
perhaps hundreds, of plants with properties as momentous as stevia that
yet remain unused and unrecognized by anyone but the native populations.
The Guarani are in possession of a good portion of these, some of which
are becoming ever more important: yerba mate and lapacho. Others, like
stevia, are less known.

Stevia as a Flavor Enhancer

There are three distinct traditions of stevia use. The first is for
flavor enhancement; the second is as an herbal tea. The third is
medicinal. The primary impetus for the development of stevia science was
the discovery by Bertoni that the herb possessed an extraordinary
sweetness. A good quality leaf is estimated to be 30 times sweeter than
cane sugar, or sucrose.

The active constituents of stevia are considered by the world's
leading food scientists as the "sweeteners of the future." Therefore,
every new development in the area of stevia research is anxiously awaited
and thoroughly analyzed when it appears. Countries in which the currently
used artificial sweetners are on the brink of being banned are desperately
trying to find new, safe, non-caloric sweeteners. And in other countries,
firms that hold exclusive rights to currently used sweeteners are
extremely fearful of the advent of new, safer sweeteners, over which they
will have no control. For these firms, the emergence of a totally natural,
non-patentable sweetener is the ultimate horror. Stevia, whether these
firms like it or not, will one day have a dramatic impact on all countries
of the world. The necessary forces simply need to be properly aligned, the
raging fury of mega-monstrous companies firmly bridled by caring
governments, and the supply of stevia raised to meet the enormous demand.

Steviosides and rebaudiosides are the principal constituents of
diterpene glucosides with differing sugar molecules attached, as found in
the leaves of the stevia plant. Extracted, they are currently being used
as sweetening agents in several countries, including Japan, China, Korea,
Taiwan, Israel, Uraguay, Brazil, and Paraguay. In Japan, commercialization
of stevia was very rapid, beginning with the ban of artificial sweeteners
during the 1960's. In 1970 the Japanese National Institute of Health began
importing stevia for investigation, and by 1980 it was being used in
hundreds of food products throughout the country.4

This is remarkable progress, considering that as recently as 1921
scientists were just getting around to naming the main constituent
(stevioside), and the molecule wasn't even accurately described until
1931, when scientists reported it to be a white, crystalline, hygroscopic
powder, approximately 300 times sweeter than cane sugar.5 And it wasn't
until 1955 that the earlier work was replicated and extended.6 By 1963,
the complete chemical structures of the active molecules of stevia were
finally worked out.7 To jump from there to the status of a major food
sweetener by the mid-1970's was a truly astounding feat, one that would
have simply been impossible in the United States or Europe. Today, the
Japanese, who cultivate stevia extensively in their own country, are
anxious that other countries adopt the use of the plant so that they might
export it. The ironic thing is that the Japanese are not as encumbered
with weight problems as the rest of us; they are not, therefore, adverse
to using copious amounts of plain old sugar. Yet they have access, in the
form of stevia, to one of the best sugar substitutes.

While most of the attention focuses on the steviosides, research has
shown that the rebaudiosides are actually much better tasting; there are
just fewer of them. One rebaudioside in particular, Rebaudioside A,
appears to be far superior. Its sweetening power is estimated to be 30%
higher than that of stevioside. Efforts to genetically select for this
constituent are underway in Japan. However, according to some sources, the
plantations maintained by the Guarani in Paraguay contain perhaps the best
tasting natural whole-leaf stevia available. Efforts to remove stevia from
its native habitat and cultivate it in foreign soils may be primarily
responsible for the off taste that characterizes non-Paraguayan stevia.
The best stevia may indeed still be obtainable only from parts of Paraguay
under native cultivation. Interestingly, a recent report showed that none
of the stevia used in Japan is imported from Paraguay. Of the 1000 tons
used in Japan in 1982, 300 were produced in Japan, 450 came from
Continental China, 150 from Taiwan, 100 from Thailand and 50 from Korea,
Brazil and Malaysia. It is said that the Paraguayans will not sell to
Japan. Much, if not most, of the stevia sold in the U.S. is imported from
China and other non-Paraguayan sources.

"The sweetness of (stevia) satisfies my craving for sweets; also it helps
keep the blood sugar balance."

"When I'm drinking 2 or 3 cups of stevia tea a day, I don't experience my
usual mood swings."

Along these same lines, it may be that the use of whole leaf is an
easier way to obtain better taste than through efforts aimed at trying to
improve the taste of certain specific constituents. It is surprising,
therefore, to see how much research has gone into attempting to improve
the taste of individual steviosides or rebaudiosides. Since the white
crystaline powder exhibits a quite persistent bitter and astringent
aftertaste, cites use as a commercial sweetener often backfires. Thus,
most manufacturers who use the isolated constituents of stevia usually
have to combine it with other kinds of typical sugars! Since rebaudiosides
taste better, methods are constantly being sought to synthetically convert
steviosides to rebaudiosides. But even the rabaudiosides must be combined
with other kinds of sugars to obtain necessary sweetness. Finally , in the
ultimate irony, there are processes currently under development for
improving the taste of stevioside by combining it in various ways with
other substances obtained directly from stevia!8-9 It is the opinion of
this author that most, if not all, of these convoluted attempts to improve
the taste of single constituents could be satisfactorily avoided simply by
using WHOLE LEAF, or whole leaf EXTRACT, the way nature intended stevia to
be used. In the final analysis, pure stevioside is attractive to
manufacturers mainly because of the higher profits to be achieved from
using a purified, therefore patentable, material.

In this country, where use of whole leaf is the only possible mode of
administration, consumers have developed some rather sophisticated
applications, especially in the medicinal area (see next section). In the
area of combining with other foods, one can also find some useful
aplications. Stevia is appropriate for use in conjunction with a variety
of other herbal teas. One can mimic the South American practice of
combining stevia with yerba mate, lapacho, and other native herbs, or one
can experiment with stevia in altering the taste parameters of any number
of traditional teas.

"We are intrigued by the honeyleaf sweetener . . . and started to use
it in our breadmaking to test it for our diabetic customers. We were so
pleased with the results and the improvement in the texture and softness,
that we have continued to use it on a regular basis in our bread and so
have all of our customers, diabetic or not."

Stevia is available in bulk, in tea bags, or as a liquid extract.
Combine one tea bag of stevia with other herbal tea bags. Try straight
stevia tea. Search for commercial products that contain stevia. You may
find that some of these are too sweet for your taste. Others may be just
right. If you purchase stevia in bulk, individual leaves and pieces of
leaf can be added to beverages, sprinkled over salads or cooking
vegetables and substituted for sugar in recipes without creating a problem
due to the presence of the leaf itself. A little bit goes a long way.

While there is no question that stevia is sweet, many users will
admit that they have also experienced a bitter aftertaste from some
brands. In fact, one of the problems with stevia products currently
available from health food retailers is that many of them just plain do
not taste good. They often have a distinct grassy taste, with varying
degrees of bitterness associated with the sweet. These differences in
quality may partly be a result of using non-Paraguayan stevia, partly due
to poor extraction and processing techniques and partly the result of
ignorance on the part of manufactureres concerning the real nature of the
stevia plant. One knowledgeable producer of stevia products is attempting
to set up industry standards for grading stevia leaves according to their
quality. Grade A stevia would be the highest quality, an extremely sweet
grade, with little bitter aftertaste and a concentrated degree of
sweetness. This grade is very difficult to obtain due to climatic
conditions that prevent harvesting at just the right time. Grade B would
be a little less sweet with some minor deterioration of the leaf. Most of
the best stevia arriving in the United States from Paraguay is Grade B.
The vast majority of stevia sold in the United States would be classified
as Grade C, a poor grade with a good deal of grassy, bitter flavor.
Extracts of Grade C are particularly unpalatable, possessing far too much
bitterness. Manufacturers often try to dress them up with other flavoring
agents, but such attempts seldom work. Once you have tasted a premium
stevia, you will never be satisfied by lesser products.

The bitter principles are actually found in the veins of the leaf,
while the leafy material between the veins contains the sweet components.
Great care must be taken during production of stevia extract to avoid
contaminating the sweet with the bitter. This pertains as much to
extraction as it does to milling.

Due to FDA regulations, pure stevioside or rebaudioside is not
allowed in the United States. Even the leaf is suspect if it is labeled as
a sweetener. Producers must exercise great caution in their labeling
practices to avoid FDA involvement. Stevia and stevia extract are
considered foods. Sweeteners are not foods, but food additives. Therefore,
stevia cannot be called a sweetener. This, of course, restricts a
manufacturer's ability to "get the word out" on stevia's use as a
sweetening agent for teas or whatever. In practice, as long as the stevia
industry poses no significant threat to the U.S. sugar or sugar substitute
industries, the FDA will probably not be pressured to concern itself with
what goes on with stevia labelling or use. Any perceived threat at all,
however, could tip the scales the opposite way, and all forms of stevia
could be banned.

To keep things low-key, remember that the sweetening effect is simply
a pleasant by-product. The primary reason that stevia is combined with the
other herbs is to enhance the nutritive value of the other herbs! Stevia
is, after all, nutrient-rich, containing substantial amounts of protein,
calcium, phosphorous and other important nutrients.10-11

Medicinal Uses

Carrying the above thought a step further, there are many very
ligitimate reasons for using stevia as a medicinal food. In spite of the
prominence stevia has obtained as a flavor enhancer, it contains a variety
of constituents besides the steviosides and rebaudiosides, including the
nutrients specified above and a good deal of sterols, triterpenes,
flavonoids, tannins, and an extremely rich volatile oil comprising rich
proportions of aromatics, aldehyde, monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes.12
These and other, as yet unidentified constituents, probably have some
impact on human physiology and may help explain some of the reported
therapeutic uses of stevia.

Hypoglycemic action.

It is probably the presence of the steviosides themselves that has
produced dozens of empirical and semi-controlled reports of hypoglycemic
action. Paraguayans say that stevia is helpful for hypoglycemia and
diabetes because it nourishes the pancreas and thereby helps to restore
normal pancreatic function13 In semi-controlled clinical reports one also
encounters this action. Oviedo, et. al., reported a 35.2% fall in normal
blood sugar levels 6-8 hours following the ingestion of a stevia leaf
extract.14 Similar trends have been reported in humans and experimental
animals by other workers.15-16 These kind of results have led physicians
in Paraguay to prescribe stevia leaf tea in the treatment of diabetes;13
similarly, in Brazil, stevia tea and stevia capsules are officiallly
approved for sale for the treatment of diabetes.12

However, it is important to note that stevia does not lower blood
glucose levels in normal subjects. In one study, rats were fed crude
extracts of stevia leaves for 56 days at a rate of 0.5 to 1.0 gram extract
per day. These procedures were replicated by another team of
scientists.17-18 Neither group observed a hypoglycemic action. Similar
negative results have been obtained by other observers.19 Then there is
research in which the findings show trends toward hypoglycemic action, but
are inconclusive.20-21 In at least one of these studies, alloxan-diabetic
rabbits were used. The authors felt the results supported an anti-diabetic
action, but the results were transient at best.

To date, the experimental research on the effects of stevia on blood
sugar levels in human patients with either diabetes or hypoglycemia is
sparse. The general feeling in the scientific community is that the mild
acting nature of the plant and its total lack of toxic side effects argues
against the need for extensive and expensive research programs.

However, many of the anecdotes reporting a definite and significant
blood sugar lowering action in diabetics, and a pronounced exhilarating
effect in hypoglycemics, are sound enough to justify considerable
experimental work in the area. Perhaps , when this missing piece to the
puzzle is supplied, we will then have a better understanding of how stevia
works - why, for example, many diabetic humans experience a profound
lowering of blood sugar levels following the ingestion of several cups of
stevia tea (24-32 oz.) during the course of a 24 hour period.

Cardiovascular Action.

A good deal of experimental work has been done on the effects of
stevia and stevioside on cardiovascular functioning in man and animals.
Some of this work was simply looking for possible toxicity, while some was
investigating possible therapeutic astion. In neither case have
significant properties been found. When any action at all is observed, it
is almost always a slight lowering of arterial blood pressure at low and
normal doses, changing to a slight rise in arterial pressure at very high
doses.22 The most curious finding is a dose dependent action on heart
beat, with a slight increase appearing at lower doses, changing to a mild
decrease at higher doses. In neither instance is the result remarkable,
and it is extremely doubtful that humans would experience any effect at
normal doses.23 The long term use of stevia would probably have a
cardiotonic action, that is, would produce a mild strengthening of the
heart and vascular system.

Antimicrobial Action

The ability of stevia to inhibit the growth and reproduction of
bacteria and other infectious organisms is important in at least two
respects. First, it may help explain why users of stevia-enhanced products
report a lower incidence of colds and flus, and second, it has fostered
the invention of a number of mouthwash and tooth paste products. Research
clearly shows that Streptococcus mutans, Pseudomonas aeruginos, Proteus
vulgaris and other microbes do not thrive in the presence of the
non-nutritive stevia constituents.24 This fact, combined with the
naturally sweet flavor of the herb, makes it a suitable ingredient for
mouth washes and for tooth pastes.25 The patent literature contains many
applications for these kinds of stevia-based products. Stevia has even
been shown to lower the incidence of dental caries.

Digestive Tonic Action.

In the literature of Brazil, stevia ranks high among the list of
plants used for centuries by the "gauchos" of the southern plains to
flavor the bitter medicinal preparations used by that nomadic culture. For
example, it was widely used in their "mate." Through much experimentation,
these people learned that stevia made a significant contribution to
improved digestion, and that it improved overall gastrointestinal
function.26 Likewise, since its introduction in China, stevia tea, made
from either hot or cold water, is used as a low calorie, sweet-tasting
tea, as an appetite stimulant, as a digestive aid, as an aid to weight
management, and even for staying young.46

Effects on the Skin.

One of the properties of a liquid extract of stevia that has not yet
been investigated experimentally is its apparent ability to help clear up
skin problems. The Guarani and other people who have become familiar with
stevia report that it is effective when applied to acne, seborrhea,
dermatitis, eczema, etc. Placed directly in cuts and wounds, more rapid
healing, without scarring, is observed. (This treatment may sting for a
few seconds, but this is followed by a significant lowering of pain.)
Smoother skin, softer to the touch is claimed to result from the frequent
appllication of stevia poultices and extracts. Current FDA labelling
regulations are forcing U.S. suppliers to label their stevia as something
other than a sweetener; an appeal to its soothing action on the skin has
been the most frequent alternative.

Effects on Reproduction.

An interesting pseudo-phenomenon arose at one time, and, sadly, still
receives attention from time to time, in the popular press and even by
serious scientists. It is sad because the whole thing is a hoax; if not
that, it is at least a case of very badly mistaken identity. It seems that
in 1968 a paper appeared that claimed that certain tribes of Indians in
Paraguay (the Matto Grosso) used stevia tea as a contraceptive, with
apparently very good results27 In subsequent experimental work, utilizing
rats, these researchers found that the treatment was supposedly good for
periods up to 2 months.

Subsequent work has repeatedly failed to replicate the 1968
study.28-31 Furthermore, at least one attempt to locate tribes in
northeastern Paraguay that used stevia to control fertility failed to
confirm the story. One effect on reproductive physiology that appears to
be valid, but which is in need of further study before definitive
conclusions can be drawn, is a healing effect on the processes underlying
prostate disease.32 Just how important this finding is must await further
research.

Safety Information

One of the most obvious indications of the safety of stevia is that
there have never been any reports of ill effects in over 1500 years of
continuous use by Paraguayans. A similar indication of safety is the
observaion that despite over ten years of widespread use of stevioside as
a sweetening agent in Japan, years in which literally scores of tons of
stevioside were ingested, not a single report of side effects of any kind
has been reported. Compare that record to the track record of aspartame,
which is the number one source of consumer food complaints made to the
FDA.

In spite of the record of safety, however the official laboratory
tests must take place. The first official investigation of possible
toxicity from stevia was performed in 1931 by Pomaret and coworkers in
South America. Their tests were negative.33 They observed that stevioside
passes through the human alimentary canal without being altered by
digestive processes. That is, it goes out in exactly the same form that it
goes in. In the decades since that observation there has raged a minor
debate over this issue, but so far nobody has been able to prove Pomaret
wrong. The issue is important because some of the metabolites of
stevioside, as opposed to whole leaf, have been shown to be toxic (see
below), and researchers have cautioned against the use of stevioside for
human consumption until it is known for certain that stevioside is not
metabolized in the human body. A typical statement is this from a report
published in 1974:" . . . the long-term effects of ingestion of stevioside
would have to be investigated carefully before it could be considered for
human use as a sweetener in the United States . . . It remains to be
proved that stevioside does not split to form any steviol in the human
digestive tract." (italics theirs).34 This challenge is, of course,
tantamount to proving a negative. Perhaps that is why the United States
resists all efforts to seriously explore the possible use of stevia as a
sweetener. No further progress on the issue has been made since 1974. It
appears that Pomaret's observations still hold.

More elaborate safety tests were performed by the Japanese during
their evaluations of stevia as a possible sweetening agent. Few substances
have ever yielded such consistently negative results in toxicity trials as
has stevia. Almost every toxicity test imaginable has been performed on
stevia extract or stevioside at one time or another The results are always
negative. No abnormalities in weight change, food intake, cell or membrane
characteristics, enzyme and substrate utilization, or chromosome
characteristics. No cancer,no birth defects, no acute and no chronic
untoward effects. Nothing.35-39

The only related effect ever observed was the inhibition cell
respiration (oxidative phosphorylation) in certain isolated cell
components, but never in whole cells. The only observable result of this
action, even after prolonged observation, was a reduction in toxicity due
to a substance known as atractylignin, a poison that attacks cells of the
liver. This result suggests that stevia could be used as an antidote to
rare cases of poisoning by that chemical. The overall result of this
action of stevia, then, turns out to be positive.40

An example of a good toxicology trial was one performed in 1985 by
Yamada and coworkers. They administered stevioside and rebaudioside A to
rats for two years at the rate of 0.3 - 1% of their diet. The animals were
then sacrificed, and the researchers conducted bio-chemical, anatomic,
pathological and carcinogenic tests on 41 organs following autopsy. In
addition they performed ongoing hematologic and urine tests on the same
animals. Each of the animals was matched to a control animal that
experienced exactly the same treatment except for the stevia. In the end,
the symptoms and alterations noted by the research staff did not vary at
all between the groups, and no dose-response effects were noted, even at
the highest dose (1%), which is equivalent to 125 times the average daily
dose of sweeteners that a normal human would require.41

Similar batteries of tests carried out by the National Ministry of
Health and Welfare in Japan also failed to find any form of toxicity
whatsoever.42

But there is a fly in the ointment, so to speak. As mentioned
earlier, there has been a fear that metabolites of stevioside and
rebaudioside A might be doing serious harm to the body. As one author put
it: "In spite of the fact that acute oral administration of large doses of
stevioside and/or Stevia rebaudiana extracts and long-term studies with
feeding either of these materials to laboratory animals have shown them to
be virtually devoid of toxic effects, one must consider the limited data
available on metabolites (italics mine) of the major sweet principles of
this plant."43 Now this comment was made in full knowledge of the fact
that stevioside and the other glycosides of stevia are remarkable for
their chemical stability; that is, due to their peculiar chemical or
molecular shape, stevia glycosides are extremely resistant to acid and
enzymatic degradation. They simply cannot be broken down into their
metabolites under normal gastric conditions. Gastric acids and enzymes, as
found in humans, are incapable of degrading these extremely stable
molecules. This is in line with Pomaret's study that found that
steviosides passed unchanged through the human gastrointestinal tract.

Apparently the situation is different in the rat. In 1980 R.E.
Wingard and associates reported that stevioside and rebaudioside A were
both degraded to steviol by rat intestinal microflora in a test tube.44
Steviol is one of the nasty metabolites that could, maybe, perhaps, do
humans serious harm. Wingard incubated the stevioside for 2-4 days in a
specially prepared solution containing the contents of the rat cecum.
Under these conditions, conversion was almost 100%. However, as Kinghorn
and Soejarto have pointed out, there are just two things wrong with
extrapolating these results to humans.45 First, humans do not have a
cecum, as does the rat; therefore, a critical step in the conversion
process has no equivalent physical location in which to occur. And second,
there is no good reason to believe that the microflora of the human
intestinal tract contains the same microorganisms as does the rat cecum.

One would think, in light of the seriousness of the theoretical
charge posed by Wingard, that scientists would be clamoring to settle the
issue through appropriate experimental measures. Not so. It's as if no one
really takes the threat seriously. After all, it is unlikely that some
kind of observable consequence of steviol (the metabolite) intoxication
would not have been reported during decades of stevia use if, in fact, a
real problem existed. Since no reports have been forthcoming, we can
daringly conclude (apparently along with the rest of the scientific
community) that humans are different from rats.

Conclusions from Safety Data.

One might reasonably ask, based on these toxicological data, why
efforts to make stevia the sugar substitute of choice in the United States
and Europe have failed so miserably, and why, in fact, individuals who
have attempted to produce high quality stevia liquid extracts in the
United States have been threatened with prosecution. Here we have a plant,
totally innocuous, posing no threat to human life and health, holding out
in fact great hope for the production of a non-caloric sweetener with
health benefits, that is being systematically suppressed.

Perhaps, in view of the numerous health benefits discussed in this
booklet (and the dozens of anecdotal uses not discussed, such as the
ability to reduce the craving for sweets and fatty foods, and as a
stop-smoking and/or stop drinking aide, the time has arrived for consumers
to begin insisting on their right to freely use this fine, delectable
plant from Paraguay. This author is certainly growing impatient with
ongoing regulatory actions that appear to be deliberately designed to keep
stevia out of his diet--a sad fate for a wonderful food like stevia.

"The Symfre tea is the only natural decongestant that we have found
that works. It's a good feeling to have a natural product that we can give
to the whole family, including the baby, that clears congestion without
drugs."

From The Jungles To You

Imagine that you live off the land in the lush tropical forests of
South America, surrounded by an almost unimaginable array of trees,
bushes, flowers, exposed to thousands of types of roots and berries and
leaves. You are appointed medicine man (or woman) and your job is to keep
yourself and the rest of the tribe healthy and to cure what ails them.
What would you do? How would you go about devising techniques that work?
Certainly you summon the help of whatever Gods and Spirits you believe in,
and make the most out of whatever hype you could come up with. In that
regard you would bear a close resemblance to the modern medical
establishment. But then you would probably start looking for agents in
nature that would serve your medicinal needs. Would you find anything? You
bet you would. For the tropical forests of South America are the earth's
richest storehouse of medicinal agents. You would probably jealously guard
your secrets as you learned them, and eventually you might even try to
make yourself into some kind of God. At some point you would select an
heir to your knowledge, and over the centuries your knowledge would be
enlarged upon by succeeding generations.

"My son came home from college with the flu and had to go work that
night. I got him on Symfre all day and he was fine (flu gone) by the time
he went to work. Everyone else had it for 5 days."

This hypothetical situation is a fairly accurate account of what
could have happened to you, had you been a member of the Guarani Indian
tribes of Paraguay. These people first came to the attention of Europeans
sometime in the 1600's and were the subject of an intense missionary
effort in the early 1700's. They were found to be a beautiful, ethical,
highly skilled, very intelligent and gifted culture.

Today, pure-blooded Guarani are declining in number, but much of
their civilization has been preserved in one form or another. Thus it is
that every once in a while, some one will be lucky enough to learn one or
two of the secrets of the Guarani; even more rarely, such a lucky person
will share it with the rest of us. As a result, we are just barely
beginning to see some of the Guarani medical remedies reach the shores of
North America.

"I am having the best allergy season I ever had since I was seven
years old back in 1938 !!! I've been in the hospital in oxygen tents more
times than I can remember . . . I make 8 cups of Symfre and yerbamate
mixed. And 5 cups of lapacho, I then mix 2 1/2 cups of lapacho with the
yerbamate and Symfre and take a large bottle with me to work and sip it
all day . . . . I have had no sign of any infection or bronchitis or
asthma; and best of all I can get up in the morning and not sneeze 75
times before I get to work. I am thrilled!!!"

One of the most promising of Guarani medicinal substances is, of
course, stevia. It is known as "sweet leaf," or "honey leaf." This
suggests the primary use of the plant in folklore use. Long before the
country was colonized by the Spaniards in the sixteenth century, stevia
was being employed to make food and drink palatable. Medicinally, the
plant was used to treat diabetic and hypoglycemic conditions, and
externally for keeping skin and hair youthful and healthy. Today, in homes
and some clinics in rural Paraguay, stevia in high doses is given in tea
form as a remedy for high blood sugar levels. The tonic, stomach-soothing,
digestive, hypotensive and immune-stimulating actions of stevia are well
known.

It is interesting to see where stevia occurs in the traditional folk
remedies of the native Guarani. Numerous are the folk medicines that
contain stevia, either as a flavor enhancer or for its own medicinal
properties. Most of these remedies are unknown beyond the edges of the
fields and jungles.

Natural Remedy for the Flu and Common Cold

One example of a Guarani remedy (O'HO'MGUARA, meaning "It must go.")
that has recently become available in the United States is a combination
of stevia with a combination of two other plants: Piper dilatatum L. Rich,
known colloquially as Yaguarundi, and Cecropia prachystachya Trecul, known
as Amba-y. These latter two herbs have been re-designated in English as
licorice pepper and Azteca, respectively. Very little is known about these
plants beyond the edge of the villages. Yet it was one Peace Corps
worker's good luck to be treated by this combination when he fell ill
while working in Paraguay. Equally fortunate was the man's ability to
persuade the Guarani indians to share the formula with him. But perhaps
most important for those of us who use the comercial version of this
compound, was the occasion upon which the Peace Corps worker shared his
knowledge of O'HO'MGUARA with a friend in the United States. This herbal
neophyte, at first highly skeptical of his friend's prepostrous claim that
an obscure group of South American Indians had a cure for the common cold,
was soon to become the world's leading advocate of this treatment. During
subsequent trips to Paraguay, as he retells his experience, he personally
witnessed the verification (in others and in himself!) of Indian claims
that colds and flu could be cleared up in a day, and that sore throats
could be cured in a matter of hours, as a result of the proper application
of O'HO'MGUARA.

Since that time, this American has shared the tea with thousands of
others,, and has successfully brought the tea to the marketplace for all
to enjoy. The difficult-to-pronounce Indian name was changed to the trade
name Symfre, pronounced sym-free, as in sympton-free. Now, even some of
the Paraguayan people refer to their native tea by that trade name.

In Guarani lore, licorice pepper was used by itself for colds, flus,
allergies, sore throat, coughs, and sinus congestion. Azteca was also used
for the common cold, flu, coughs, allergies and sinus and lung congestion.
It is also considered to be especially helpful for bronchial and pulmonary
problems. Used together, the effect was said to be several orders of
magnitude more dramatic and effective. Stevia was used to flavor the
product and add stomach-soothing and digestive properties.

"Having tried several of the herbal teas, to wit: lapacho, yerbamate
and Symfre, I am very impressed! One of the most noticeable results has
been . . . weight loss. Another has been fewer and less severe headaches.
Also, some improvement regarding asthma, food allergies, and digestion . .
. Generally, I've been feeling ever so much better, with vim and vigor.
These herbal beverages. . . have been the best thing to come my way in
years!"

Another popular use for stevia in South America is to improve the
taste of yerbamate. Many North Americans go to South America and become
intrigued by mate only to be put off by the taste. Often they will resort
to using large amounts of sugar in the tea to mask the flavor. Little do
they realize that the ideal solution to the problem could be obtained
simply by observing native practices. The addition of stevia to yerbamate
markedly improves the taste for most of us. There are some people who seem
to enjoy the natural flavor of mate, and feel the addition of sweetening
agents of any kind makes the beverage too sweet. The majority of people,
however, like it sweet. Stevia is the perfect answer to the question of
how one sweetens the tea without adding calories and/or questionably safe
artificial sweeteners.

"Since I've been drinking this herbal tea (stevia and yerbamate), I
have found energy I didn't know I had . . . I was sluggish, had headaches
daily and basically was rundown . . . The tea has relieved all my
problems, and most of all, I feel better knowing that it is completely
natural, no harsh drugs or stimulants. I really enjoy the sweet taste with
the benefit of no calories."

These are just a couple of examples of the medicinal treasures hidden
away in the lore of Paraguay and other South American countries.

"I had a series of colds and sore throats. Very unusual for me. I
ordered the yerba mate and Symfre and began drinking the tea. It broke up
the infections, and I shared it several times with others, who also were
relieved from cold symptoms."

Slowly, these marvels are being uncovered and brought to the
attention of the world.

Let us hope that the day will soon come when simple, time-honored,
health traditions with extraordinary potential for improving the lot of
mankind, can be freely and openly offered to the world without
interference from self-serving individuals, agencies, organizations and
corporations which profit from the suppression of such fabulous,
compelling and ultimately superior natural remedies.

How to Use SYMFRE

A. For symptomatic relief of colds, flu, coughs, allergies, sinus
congestion: Drink 8 cups (2 quarts) of tea in the course of one day, about
1 cup every 2-3 hours. Use 1 tablespoon per 8 oz. of water.

B. For relief of sore throat: Follow above directions but expect reslts in
4-5 hours.

C. For maintenance purposes: Drink tea made from 1 teaspoon per 8 oz.
water, as desired.

NOTE 1: For an even more dramatic and health promoting action, combine
equal amounts of Symfre and yerbamate in 12-14 oz. hot water. Consume this
every 3 hours throughout the day, with 1 or 2 cups the next morning.

NOTE 2: Follow the native practice of combining Symfre with both yerbamate
and lapacho. This is especially suggested in case of a deficiency in
immune system functioning.

"I have been using (a combination of yerbamate and stevia) for about
two years. For 25 years, 365 days of each year, I had a sinus problem!
Since I started using (the tea), the only time I have a problem is when I
don't drink 3-4 eight ounce cups of tea each day. I am also a diabetic and
I use about 10 drops of the (stevia extract) in each cup of tea. As long
as I eat properly and exercise, I get a negative reading on my test. Two
years ago my doctor wanted to put me on insulin, but now I no longer have
to take any medication for my condition."

Note on the Text

The material appearing in large italic print with quotation marks
around it, throughout this pamphlet, was taken from actual letters in my
files. Where necessary, the generic terms, such as 'lapacho' and
'yerbamate' were used in place of brand names.

The brand name Symfre has passed into colloquial usage, even in
Paraguay, and is therefore used here in place of the generic Paraguayan
designation O'HO'MGUARA for convenience of pronounciation.

References

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42. Food Chemistry Division, Environmental Health Bureau, Ministry of
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr. Mowry is known primarily for his efforts to bring scientific data
about herbal medicine to the attention of the American public. Toward this
end he has published the books entitled the Scientific Validation of
Herbal Medicine, and Guaranteed Potency Herbs: Next Generation Herbal
Medicine, which have become standard texts in the field.

Dr. Mowry is Director of the Mountainwest Institute of Herbal Sciences, in
Salt Lake City, Utah.

:cool: TJ :cool: