BMR Phytomedicine-A Sweet Medicinal Herb Stevia rebaudiana Perspectives in Therapeutics

Throughout the ages, humans have relied on nature for their needs. From thousands of years plants are the basis of traditional medicine systems and will continuously supply new remedies. Stevia rebaudiana is a natural sweetener plant and known as “Sweet Weed”, “Sweet Leaf”, “Sweet Herbs” and “Honey Leaf”, which is estimated to be 300 times sweeter than cane sugar and popular worldwide due to its sweetness. Besides sweetness it has broad spectrum of therapeutic potential which are little known. India has suitable climate for Stevia cultivation. In spite of this, Stevia cultivation has not been taken up on a large scale. Aim of this review is to explore the therapeutic benefits of Stevia rebaudiana and techniques for its conservation.