Stevia is a small shrub that is a member of Asteraceae family of plants, more commonly referred to as the “sunflower family.” The scientific name is Stevia Rebaudiana L. Bertoni. The native peoples in Paraguay use the stevia leaves since centuries to sweeten their mate (medicinal tea). Japan introduced stevia in the early 1970s to replace artificial, synthetic sweeteners. Stevia is considered 200~400 times the sweetness of sucrose.