Common names include: stevia, sweet leaf, sweet herb of Paraguay, honey leaf, & sugar leaf <br />Increasing popularity of artificial sweeteners over the past 20 years <br />Demand for “natural” & “healthier” alternatives <br />Perfect social, political, & economic climate <br />Widespread use as a non-nutritive sweetener due to sweet leaves <br />Much debate over its use & health implications <br />Used extensively by native cultures of South America for centuries <br />First introduced to Europe by Spanish conquistadores in 16th century <br />Reintroduced in early 20th century to scientific community by Italian-Swiss botanist Dr. Moisés S. Bertoni <br />1905 – Bertoni classified & described stevia
