Greetings all,
Not sure if this info is already on the forum already but I like to share it with all (especially those with a sweet tooth or diabetes).
Stevia is sweeping the natural-food industry. Consumers want to use it, stores want to sell it and manufacturers want to include it in their food and cosmetic products. Unfortunately, very few people know anything about stevia, the various forms in which it comes, how and when to use it or which forms offer the maximum benefits.
Prior to 1991, stevia was in widespread use in the United States and several other countries. In Japan, it was developed by a complex refining process into a sweetener called stevioside -- a white powder 250 to 300 times sweeter than sugar -- which has a 47 percent market share in the Japanese commercial-sweetening industry.
In 1984, stevia importers were informed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that they could no longer import concentrated stevia liquid into the United States for sale as a sweetener. FDA officials did say that there was no problem with importing stevia in tea bags for sale as a tea. The FDA imposed an import alert on stevia in May 1991, instructing importation agents to not allow stevia in any form into the United States. The agency later relaxed that order, allowing stevia to be imported and sold only as a liquid concentrate for skin care. The FDA issued a revised import alert Sept. 18, 1995, informing its agents that stevia could be imported and sold if, and only if, it was labeled as a dietary supplement.
Good quality stevia leaves, whether whole, cut and sifted or in tea bags, are about 30 times sweeter than sugar and have no calories. The best quality leaves are imported from South America and Mexico, and are about 12 percent to 13 percent stevioside. The poorest quality, but most ample supply, is currently coming from China, where the leaves contain only 5 percent to 6 percent stevioside. A simple taste test quickly demonstrates the difference.
A few companies are marketing liquid stevia extracts or concentrates. The water-based concentrates are superior to the alcohol-based extracts because they usually contain a greater concentration of the nutrients essential to the healing activity. Virtually all research performed with whole-leaf stevia has been done with water-based concentrates. Also, alcohol nullifies much of the plant's healing activity on the skin and the scalp. The effectiveness of a water-based concentrate depends on its purity and the ratio of leaves to water used in the preparation process. The more leaves to water, the better and more effective the final product.
In all of its current forms, stevia has a taste unique to itself. With all of its sweetness, there is a bitter taste when the leaf, extract or stevioside powder is placed in the mouth. This bitter taste disappears, as does the slight licorice flavor, when the product is appropriately diluted in water or another liquid prior to use. The bitter taste comes from the leaf veins. The majority of the veins must be removed during the cut-and-sift process, or the delightfully sweet taste is overcome by a strong bitterness.
Whether in dry-leaf or concentrate form, stevia has the wonderful ability to help the body regulate blood sugar. Several researchers have reported that, in these natural forms, stevia seems to correct both high and low blood sugar1. Other scientists have stated that stevia appears to lower blood pressure, but does not seem to affect normal blood pressure2. Stevia leaves and the water-based concentrate are sold in some South American countries as aids for people with diabetes, hypoglycemia and high blood pressure.
Research has demonstrated that stevia liquid concentrate inhibits the growth and reproduction of harmful bacteria and other infectious organisms, including those that are a problem for the food and cosmetic industries3. Stevia also inhibits the growth of the bacteria that cause gum disease and tooth decay, and in many countries it is used in oral-hygiene products. Because such products are not yet allowd by the FDA, many Americans simply add several drops of stevia concentrate to a small amount of water, swish thoroughly in the mouth and swallow. This ability of stevia to destroy infectious organisms may help explain why stevia users report a lower incidence of colds and flu4.
Less known, but no less remarkable, is the ability of water-based stevia concentrate to help heal numerous skin problems, including acne, seborrhea, dermatitis and exzema. It also has been observed that placing it in cuts and wounds brings more rapid healing without the scarring. This will cause a severe stinging for several seconds, but is followed by a significant lowering of pain5. Physicians have reported using stevia concentrate to heal psoriasis and burns, while others have reported that it is extremely helpful in healing various lip sores.
The stevioside mentioned earlier, although more intensely sweet than the leaf or concentrate and certainly safe for diabetics and hypoglycemics, does not retain any of the healing properties described above. It is far too sweet to be eaten by itself, but it is in high demand by consumers who want a noncaloric sweetener.
Virtually all scientific researchers who have studied stevia and stevioside have attested to their complete safety. Daniel Mowrey, Ph.D., a renowned scientist and director of the American Phytotherapy Research Laboratory, has written the following:
"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. Nothing6.
Stevia is here. Use it, recommend it, sell it and enjoy it.
STEVIA
It’s sweeter than sugar substitute
and it’s beneficial for candida
sufferers and diabetics.
It’s antifungal and antimicrobial.
It can be used in cooking,
or as a face wash.
It’s free of pesticides,
herbicides and chemicals.
And it’s Calorie Free!
What is Stevia?
Stevia is one of the most health
restoring plants on earth.
Native to Paraguay,
stevia is a small green
plant bearing leaves,
which have a delicious and
refreshing taste that can be
70 to 400 times sweeter than sugar,
depending on the quality of the plant.
As well as the intensely sweet taste,
various studies have found the
leaf to contain proteins, fiber,
carbohydrates, iron, phosphorus,
calcium, potassium, sodium,
magnesium, zinc, rutin, vitamin A,
vitamin C, and an oil that contains
53 other constituents.
Stevia as a Sweetener
Because the human body does not
metabolize the sweet glycosides
(they pass right through)
from the leaf or any of its
processed forms,
the body obtains NO CALORIES
from stevia.
Can everyone use Stevia?
If used in it’s pure unadulterated form,
processed forms of pure stevia
DO NOT adversely affect blood glucose
levels and may be used freely by both
diabetics and hypoglycemics.
For people with blood sugar,
blood pressure or weight problems,
stevia is the most desirable sweetener.
Stevia in Cooking.
Unlike artificial sweeteners,
the sweet glycosides do not
break down in heat,
which makes stevia safe to
use in cooking and baking.
Health Benefits
of Using Stevia
Since its introduction into
the United States,
numerous people have reported
that taking stevia with each meal
brought their blood glucose levels
to near normal.
Studies have shown that stevia
tends to lower elevated blood pressure
and it also inhibits growth
of some bacteria,
including the bacteria that causes
tooth decay and gum disease.
This explains reports of lower
incidence of colds and flu’s
amongst those who use stevia.
Stevia is also an excellent aid in
weight-loss programs;
it reduces cravings for sweet
and fatty foods.
Taking stevia prior to each
meal reduces hunger sensations.
Users of stevia,have reported that it
decreases their desire for tobacco
and alcoholic beverages.
Other benefits from taking stevia,
include improved digestion
and gastrointestinal function,
soothed upset stomachs and
quicker recovery form minor illness.
Sources:
rashmanly.com/2009/03/15/stevia-is-a-safe-natural-sweetener/
www.sugarfreestevia.net/stevia-extract.html
www.asktom-naturally.com/naturally/stevia3.html 
though -- lol. I dont mind putting a splash of grape juice over the top to help me get it down, but I still do want to learn how to make the CDS. 
