GARDENING : STEVIA A SWEET, NATURAL ALTERNATIVE TO SUGAR.

Byline: Joshua Siskin

If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is. Yet if, by chance, it's actually as good as it sounds, the government probably won't allow it anyway.

Such is the lesson learned from a plant known as stevia. Stevia leaves are sweet; just put one in your mouth and your taste buds will experience a mellifluous ecstasy previously unknown. The glycosides responsible for this saccharine sensation are 300 times sweeter than ordinary sugar, yet they have the same caloric content as water. It is believed that these glycosides are a deterrent to the plant-eating insects that thrive in stevia's neo-tropical habitat.

The reported uses and potential benefits of stevia are numerous. In hospital patients, it has lowered both blood pressure and blood sugar levels. Stevia contains fluoride and is an ingredient in natural toothpastes. It deters the bacteria that cause gum decay, plaque and cavities and inhibits a variety of other pathogenic microorganisms. Applied topically, it helps in the healing of skin wounds. It is used as a skin tonic and for combating yeast infections. It has been used to treat hypertension and diabetes. And, of course, it could be extremely beneficial as a sweetener for those who keep an eye on their weight. A dozen drops of stevia concentrate, taken 20 minutes before meals, may also serve as an appetite suppressant. In extensive testing conducted during the past 25 years, no toxic effects from the use of stevia have been reported.

Stevia grows wild in the rain forests of Paraguay, just across the border from Brazil, in the Rio Monday Valley - a mountainous region, at 2,000 feet above sea level, in the Amambay Range. In that part of the world, it has long been used by the indigenous Guarani Indians both medicinally and as a sweetener in mate, an herbal tea.

The full scientific name of this plant is Stevia rebaudiana ``Bertonii.'' The genus name Stevia commemorates the 16th-century Spanish botanist Pedro Esteves. The cultivar name honors Moises Bertoni, a Paraguayan scientist who in the 1890s was the first person to see the commercial potential of this plant as a sugar substitute.

In the 1960s, stevia was introduced to Japan and intensively grown there in hothouses. By the mid 1970s, it had captured 40 percent of the Japanese sweetener market, including use as a sweetener for Diet Coke. Stevia also is used extensively in Brazil, Mexico, Israel, Korea and China. In this country, it was banned for use of any kind until 1995, when it was finally approved as a ``dietary supplement,'' although it is still outlawed as a commercial sweetener. (It is available as a powder and liquid concentrate through purveyors of herbal products and health foods.)

It has been suggested that the reason for the FDA's reluctance to approve stevia is the lobbying effort of those who manufacture aspartame, which is marketed as Nutrasweet. Meanwhile, intensive growing and research of stevia is being conducted at opposite ends of Canada, both in Ontario and in British Columbia.

Anyone living in Los Angeles can grow stevia. It does best in well-drained, somewhat acid soil, so dig in peat moss prior to planting in the ground, or use peat moss as part of your container soil mix. In deference to its humid, subtropical origins, it should be grown, in our dry climate, in a location protected from searing sun and wind. A morning sun or partially shaded location would be appropriate.

Stevia is a perennial that grows to a height of 2 to 3 feet. It may not be the garden plant of everyone's dreams due to its inconspicuous flowers and allergenic pollen. Yet, neither flowers nor pollen need ever be seen if flower buds are picked off before they open - a recommended practice since flowering decreases glycoside concentration in the leaves.

Although it's in the daisy family, Stevia has the same-size leaves and the gently arching growth habit of many sages (salvias). Its leaves are dull green with toothed margins and a raised midvein on the underside. Older leaves, lower on the plant, are the ones to harvest, since they are most highly concentrated in steviosides and rebaudiosides - the unique glycoside compounds that make stevia sweet.

Thanks to Adam Bearson for introducing me to stevia. To the best of my knowledge, the only local nursery that sells stevia plants is Sperling's in Calabasas. Last Sunday, a friend who accompanied me there was so impressed that he bought all of the stevias, in 6-inch pots, that were on display. Stevia can also be ordered over the Internet from a Canadian nursery at www.richters.com.

On the subject of natural sweeteners, another plant, the miracle fruit (Synsepalum dulcificum), deserves mention. Ingest a few scrapings from a miracle fruit, bite into a lemon, and the lemon will taste sweet. This plant, which comes from West Africa, is available through Papaya Tree Nursery in Granada Hills. For more information, call David Silber at [phone].

Tip of the week: Much of the information presented here was gathered from the Internet. To find the best articles on any plant, I recommend you go to www.altavista.digital.com. From there, type in the name of your plant, between quotation marks. Typing in the scientific (Latin) name should narrow your search.