History of Stevia and Stevia Use

Japan had begun cultivating stevia as an alternative to artificial sweeteners as early as the 1970s. Usually, the leaves of stevia as well as the aqueous extract of the leaves are used as sweeteners. Moreover, purified steviosides are used for the same purpose. The first commercial stevia sweetener was produced in Japan in 1971. Since then, stevia is being used in Japan in soft drinks, food products as also for table use. Japan has emerged as the greatest consumer of stevia in the world. Currently, stevia is cltivated and used in food items in other Asian countries as well. For example, Malaysia, Thailand, Korea, Taiwan and China have all started using stevia. It can also be traced in parts of South America and in Israel.

Availability of Stevia

Semi-arid habitats like grassland and mountain terrain are the regions where species of stevia are found.