From The Food Encyclopedia by Jacques Rolland and Carol Sherman
Also kaa-he-he, sweet leaf. A sweet, perennial herb, Eupatorium rebaudianum Bertoni, native to Paraguay, where the Guarani people, who call it kaa-he-he, have traditionally harvested it from the wild to sweeten hot drinks, such as maté. Since cultivation was begun in the early 1900s, stevia has been grown and used to make various drinks and foodstuffs in Asia and parts of Europe, as well as South America, but it has not yet received government approval as a commercial food additive in either Canada or the U.S. Health food and herbal stores do sell it as a dietary supplement, however. The leaves are used dried, fresh or in powdered form. Stevia is also available in liquid or concentrated syrup. Its boosters claim that stevia is an all-natural, calorie-free sweetener that is suitable for use by diabetics; in North America, government scientists have yet to complete testing to confirm its long-term safety when consumed in large quantities. Only a little is needed at a time, however, as it is 300 times sweeter than table sugar.
