About our Stevia products

Stevia is the only natural sweetener that does not affect blood-sugar levels, is suitable for diabetics, has zero calories, and zero GI-value, glychemic index. This we found out ourselves after a bit of private research.

Unfortunately, almost the whole world is led to believe that the synthetic sweeteners (aspartame, sucralose, sorbitol, and others) are NOT dangerous. Lately, though, the contrary has been proven, beyond a shadow of a doubt. (Although aspartame has been illegal for more than 30 years in Japan... and there, e.g. light soft-drinks contain Stevia instead.)

We trust that each will find out by himself, the dangers of synthetic sweeteners – it is readily available information – and this is why we, FriendlyShop, will concentrate on the alternative instead.

Background on Stevia

There are a few manufacturers out there, but we have found one that delivers both organically certified and the highest quality. And with a shorter chain of distribution, we believe our prices are unbeatable!

The general quality of Stevia, has to do with both the plant itself and the ground leaves.

• There are different species in the Stevia family. Stevia Rebaudiana is the one that contains most of the sweet component rebaudioside A, that has the most neutral sweet flavor, and least of the anis-seed/liquorice aftertaste.
• When picking from the bush for drying and subsequent grinding, it can be done by hand to get only the leaves – or mechanically, where stems are ground into the product. Stems have more of a bitter flavor and contain only three percent stevioside.
• Stevia is grown different ways, with or without pesticides and artificial fertilizers.

FriendlyShop has aquired Stevia of the best quality.

• Our dried leaf Stevia Green comes from Stevia Rebaudiana with the most neutral sweet flavor. It is about 40 times as sweet as regular sugar.
• It is ground from hand-picked leaves; no bitter stems are included.
• It is grown organically and certified as such; no pesticides and no artificial fertilizers. (The certificate that we have, is issued by the Swiss IMO, Institute for Marketecology/Institut für Marktökologie)

The refining process now takes place in close proximity to where the plants are grown, which creates jobs locally, and no need for shipping far away for extraction, e.g. to China.

P.S. Read more about the plant at Wikipedia.

Research on Stevia

• Stevioside. Phytochemistry. 2003 Nov;64(5):913-21. Review. Link in English
• Effect of Stevia rebaudiana on glucose tolerance in normal adult humans.
  Braz J Med Biol Res. 1986;19(6):771-4. Link in English
• Antihyperglycemic effects of stevioside in type 2 diabetic subjects.
  Metabolism. 2004 Jan;53(1):73-6. Link in English
• Effect of stevioside on growth and reproduction.
  Hum Reprod. 1991 Jan;6(1):158-65.  Link in English
• Stevioside acts directly on pancreatic beta cells to secrete insulin: actions independent of cyclic adenosine monophosphate and adenosine triphosphate-sensitive K+-channel activity.
  Metabolism. 2000 Feb;49(2):208-14. Link in English
• Antihyperglycemic and blood pressure-reducing effects of stevioside in the diabetic Goto-Kakizaki rat.
  Metabolism. 2003 Mar;52(3):372-8.  Link in English
• Increase of insulin sensitivity by stevioside in fructose-rich chow-fed rats..
  Horm Metab Res. 2005 Oct;37(10):610-6. Link in English
• The effect of stevioside on blood pressure and plasma catecholamines in spontaneously hypertensive rats.
  Life Sci. 1998;63(19):1679-84. Link in English
• Evaluation of the cariogenic potential of the intense natural sweeteners stevioside and rebaudioside A.
  Caries Res. 1992;26(5):363-6.Link in English
• Preventive effects of a soy-based diet supplemented with stevioside on the development of the metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes in Zucker diabetic fatty rats. Metabolism. 2005 Sep;54(9):1181-8. Link in English
• Mechanism of the hypoglycemic effect of stevioside, a glycoside of Stevia rebaudiana.
  Planta Med. 2005 Feb;71(2):108-13. Link in English
• Rebaudioside A potently stimulates insulin secretion from isolated mouse islets: studies on the dose-, glucose-, and calcium-dependency. Metabolism. 2004 Oct;53(10):1378-81.  Link in English
• Efficacy and tolerability of oral stevioside in patients with mild essential hypertension: a two-year, randomized, placebo-controlled study. Clin Ther. 2003 Nov;25(11):2797-808.  Link in English
• Mechanism of the antihypertensive effect of stevioside in anesthetized dogs.
  Pharmacology. 2003 Jan;67(1):14-20.  Link in English
• Antihypertensive effect of stevioside in different strains of hypertensive rats.
  Zhonghua Yi Xue Za Zhi (Taipei). 2002 Jan;65(1):1-6.  Link in English