The plant Stevia rebaudiana has been used for more than 1,500 years by the Guaraní peoples of South America, who called it ka’a he’ê (“sweet herb”). The leaves have been traditionally used for hundreds of years in both Brazil and Paraguay to sweeten local teas and medicines, and as a “sweet treat”. The genus was named for Spanish botanist and physician Petrus Jacobus Stevus (Pedro Jaime Esteve 1500–1556) a professor of botany at the University of Valencia. It is preferred for use in oral hygiene applications because not only is it non-fermentable meaning it cannot lead to the formation of cativies, but it also has been shown in laboratory tests to reduce the amount of plaque.
We use Stevia in our product lines both for it’s sweetening effect and for it’s ability to reduce the amount of dental plaque. Here is a link to a study performed by Professor at the Department of Preventive and Social Dentistry, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul C.D. Cassiano Scapini, Porto Alegre, Brazil . http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00003-010-0555-5
