Disappointed in Stevia

[Sarah]

Stepping in gingerly here...

 

"sweet water" is naturally (not by heat) dried (dessicated) stevia leaves, whole but crushed, put and brewed sun tea style, in a sun tea bottle. When brewed, transfer to another container, filtering through a coffee filter. Over steeping gives that 'yuck' taste. Not removing the leaves does that also. Leaves must be harvested pre or post bloom, not during. I do not have the tables handy on the days before or after, but it averages 14 days in this growth zone.

 

A light citrus taste, closer to mountain dew than sprite, very thirst quenching, but very mild. If you are used to sodas or southern sweet iced teas, you may not appreciate the mildness.

 

The trick is the dessication. You want to keep the oils, but they tend to 'cook off' first. I do mine in the dry sun tea bottles, sealed, letting the sun do the job. Some English friends do theirs in zip lock bag. Yuck.

 

A tidbit to the diabetics and EMTs here. Stevia contains natural glucocides, but in very small quantities. There is actually a sub species developed just for those glucocides. (Note: glucocies are not steviacides, steviacides are the false sweetnings.). There is a emergency use (very powerful) powdered form. They have yet to get the ratio of meter reading to quantity worked out consistently. It is NOT an insulin, but our EMTs will use it when a persons blood sugar is above 400 mg/dl, and they need to get that down in less than an hour. That is right, less than an hour. Normally 20 minutes. They have the syringes pre-prepped with 10 units (300 on the meter).

 

What I have yet to work out is long term storage of the dessicated leaves. I am experimenting with tinctures and the like.

 

Another tidbit for the poster who said their family has issues with stevia. In these parts we have a lot of folks genetically prone to sudden onset 'grand mal' type 1 diabetes. These people often (greater than 80%, but do not have a tested/approved figure) have a allergy like reaction to stevia. To this person I say to check out 'MSS', Mennonite Somatype Syndrome, (but not just for them, Native Americans are also documented) and at their next check, have the blood work done to see if they are having retention issues with potassium, phosphorus, and perhaps magnesium. That is MSS. It will cause a hard type 1 grand mal diabetes onset if not treated with supplements. Here the doctors will normally prescribe "PHOS-NaK' in a hospital environment, but not prescribe outside such a facility, as each packet is 10% rda of potassium, and 10% over can be fatal.

 

Sarah

[Andrea]

Sarah, thank you so much for this information! I actually really like stevia and gave it another try in the flower bed this year. I managed to dry 2- 1qt jars of whole leaves. I think I posted earlier that I steep a leaf or two when I'm making iced tea, but I hadn't thought about making sweet water! What a great idea! How long will it last in the fridge? Sweet water would work so much better in things like hot cereal and lemonade.

 

Also great to know about the connection with diabetics. I'm going to try again to get my Dad to use this stuff instead of splenda. And maybe "sweet water" would help with this!

 

THANK YOU!!!

[Daylily]

Stepping in gingerly here...

 

"sweet water" is naturally (not by heat) dried (dessicated) stevia leaves, whole but crushed, put and brewed sun tea style, in a sun tea bottle. When brewed, transfer to another container, filtering through a coffee filter. Over steeping gives that 'yuck' taste. Not removing the leaves does that also. Leaves must be harvested pre or post bloom, not during. I do not have the tables handy on the days before or after, but it averages 14 days in this growth zone.

 

A light citrus taste, closer to mountain dew than sprite, very thirst quenching, but very mild. If you are used to sodas or southern sweet iced teas, you may not appreciate the mildness.

 

The trick is the dessication. You want to keep the oils, but they tend to 'cook off' first. I do mine in the dry sun tea bottles, sealed, letting the sun do the job. Some English friends do theirs in zip lock bag. Yuck.

 

A tidbit to the diabetics and EMTs here. Stevia contains natural glucocides, but in very small quantities. There is actually a sub species developed just for those glucocides. (Note: glucocies are not steviacides, steviacides are the false sweetnings.). There is a emergency use (very powerful) powdered form. They have yet to get the ratio of meter reading to quantity worked out consistently. It is NOT an insulin, but our EMTs will use it when a persons blood sugar is above 400 mg/dl, and they need to get that down in less than an hour. That is right, less than an hour. Normally 20 minutes. They have the syringes pre-prepped with 10 units (300 on the meter).

 

What I have yet to work out is long term storage of the dessicated leaves. I am experimenting with tinctures and the like.

 

Another tidbit for the poster who said their family has issues with stevia. In these parts we have a lot of folks genetically prone to sudden onset 'grand mal' type 1 diabetes. These people often (greater than 80%, but do not have a tested/approved figure) have a allergy like reaction to stevia. To this person I say to check out 'MSS', Mennonite Somatype Syndrome, (but not just for them, Native Americans are also documented) and at their next check, have the blood work done to see if they are having retention issues with potassium, phosphorus, and perhaps magnesium. That is MSS. It will cause a hard type 1 grand mal diabetes onset if not treated with supplements. Here the doctors will normally prescribe "PHOS-NaK' in a hospital environment, but not prescribe outside such a facility, as each packet is 10% rda of potassium, and 10% over can be fatal.

 

Sarah

 

Sarah, I'm trying to comprehend all this. When you say "grand mal" type 1 diabetes, are you saying that it is accompanied by seizures or just comparing a very sudden onset?

[themartianchick]

Okay... I'm willing to give stevia another try this year...

[snapshotmiki]

I found a chart on oxalates recently, (which are a cause of my kidney stones) and stevia was way up there. Just wanted to mention it.

[Jeepers]

Thanks Miki. I'll let my D-ex know. He uses Stevia and is prone to kidney stones. His Dr. said oxalates were the cause of his too. That and not enough hydration. He's a runner.

[CrabGrassAcres]

I'm not surprised that it isn't good for your kidneys. It tastes bitter to me and I've discovered that most things that taste bitter are hard on my kidneys. (I have chronic kidney disease and have to be very careful what I eat.)

[The WE2's]

My stevia plant grew nearly "wild" last season. I've always harvested the leaves when they were young & dehydrated them. After growing season, I just covered the complete herbal garden area with heavy black milar. We'll see which ones (including the stevia) come back volunteer. When I used the stevia leaves, I only "bruised" them in my mortar & postule and vacuume sealed them. Haven't tried using them, but did find the fresh leaves not bad at all...but, we're not sugar eaters so anything with the slightest sweetness taste so to us. We do use some honey and some agave liquid.

[Sarah]

I am growing my very first stevia plant...It's not very big yet, but as soon as it can 'spare' a few leaves, I'm going to experiment with steeping a few leaves in warm or hot water...and using the sweetened water to sweeten stuff with. Has anyone tried that?

It is called 'sweet water' amoung us, but I will be the first to tell you it is an acquired taste. Brew it like a sun tea, start at nine normal sized leaves to the galleon, floating. Move up and down that count for taste, and as the time of harvesting does affect it quite a bit.

 

Sarah

[Sarah]

 

Sarah, I'm trying to comprehend all this. When you say "grand mal" type 1 diabetes, are you saying that it is accompanied by seizures or just comparing a very sudden onset?

 

Daylilly, I never saw this. Sorry. And it is another of my 'buttons'. Forgive me if I go in with too much information. It is NOT a kind way to go... Nobody should end this way. Nobody.

 

Grand Mal type 1 is hard to describe to one who has not witnessed it. I am trying to think of the English term. DKA? Diabetic Keto Acidosis, I think. Patient goes from 'normal' to 'down' in about 48 hours, extreme uncontrollable urination, ditto thirst, renal failure common, extreme production of stomach acids, severe sudden weight loss, and dementia.

 

Let me look for one of the alert cards... I keep them in the desk along with both types of the packets, as part of our standard first aid kit.

---flash typing, please forgive any typos---

MEDIC ALERT

This patient has MSS and is a brittle diabetic.

Emergency Response:

1) Perform TWO diabetic blood tests using the patients' MODIFIED meter on separage digits.

If greater than twenty points variance between the two readings, adminsiter one packet of PHOS-NaK (brand) supplement attached to this card.

Disreguard reading levels, wait fifteen minutes. Retest and repeat as necessary.

2) Using a standard diabetic test meter readings average 93 points plus/minus 17 high.

3) Once readings are in sync, and if still out of range, treat per acid ketosis.

 

Physician notes:

MSS is a rare genetic trace mineral retention condition. It normally masks itself as a severe (hyper or hypo) diabetic reaction.

This is normally a temporary side effect.

 

MSS is the cause of this patents type I diabetes.

 

Normal rDNA 'N' insulin has no effect.

Normal rDNA 'R' (or 'pig') insulin is partially effective but with guaranteed severe and most likely FATAL adverse effects.

Electrolytic A1c and any electrolytic blood serum meters are suspect. HPLC is the only known way to obtain a true reading.

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

There is more, like don't administer potassium in IV, or in liquid suppliment, etc, but I think you have the idea...

 

The good news is that MSS is just about 'extinct'. We now know what genetic factors to look for, and the potential victims

get a 'standard' suppliment packet a day which keep the system from going into shock, and killing the pancreas. But we still have some of

the older generations living with the type I complications. They must test and shoot every THREE hours.

 

The bad news is that the PHOS-NaK is potentially abuseable.

Let me fish out of my drawer some of the packets, which I keep, 'just in case'.

Standard suppliment packet is 160mg sodium (7%rda), 280mg Potassium (10%rda), 250mg Phosphorus (35%rda).

The 'emergency' packets are 480mg sodium (21%rda), 1120mg Potassium (40%rda), 500mg Phosphorus (70%rda), and 200mg magnesium (50%rda).

The standard PHOS-NaK used to be prescription only. Emergency still is.

Maximum allowable dosage is one standard packet a day, as the patient may be getting from normal diet.

 

The stevia based pseudo insulins have saved many lives. But they have been taken off the market except for emergency response, and then in very restricted areas, based on genetic stocks. Body builders, etc, were 'ripping' by shooting three units (90 points on a standard diabetics meter)(normal reading is 80-180), the body would shock, eating the stored fat.

 

Sarah

[Staceyy]

I prefer Whey Low.

[MommaDogs]

LOL I'm addicted to Stevia. I use the English Toffee flavor liquid, or the powder in the raw... but I also grew my own and the only way I could use it was in an extract. It's not bad, and especially if you add some vanilla or other flavorings, it's divine. And I drink it in my coffee and herbal tea every day... but like I said, I use the liquid form. Maybe it's the toffee flavor or maybe it's the liquid, but I never detect an after taste.

 

Here's some info from a stevia article... and by the way, it has medicinal properties as well.

 

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.

 

http://healthfree.com/stevlife.html

[Ambergris]

That's interesting. I might need to grow a pot of it and try.