Stevia

Stevia rebaudiana · Steviol glycosides · Rebaudioside A

Snapshot

Indications	Contraindications
Sugar substitution¹ Fasting glucose^{2, 3} Systolic blood pressure⁴	Pregnancy⁵ Sunflower family allergy⁵

Stevia is a plant sweetener made from the leaves of Stevia rebaudiana, whose steviol glycosides are many times sweeter than sucrose and supply almost no energy¹. The glycosides pass through the upper gut and are hydrolyzed to steviol by colonic bacteria⁶. People take it to replace sugar, and the goals that follow are glycemic control, blood pressure, and weight management⁵. The typical patient is an adult with overweight or diabetes cutting sugar intake.

Meta-analyses of trials found lower fasting glucose with low certainty and no change in glycated hemoglobin^{2, 3}. One pooled analysis found a lower systolic blood pressure, with heterogeneity across studies⁴. A meta-analysis found no significant change in appetite scores, and a rebaudioside A trial in adults with overweight or obesity found no weight change from baseline. A 2020 laboratory and computer-modelling study found a commercial stevia supplement and purified steviol glycosides interrupted bacterial quorum-sensing communication without killing the bacteria; no human trial has tested this. Products are liquid extracts, powders, capsules, and tablets; see Form comparison⁵.

The Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center herb monograph advises against use in pregnancy because the effects of non-nutritive sweeteners on offspring are unknown⁵. For patients taking blood pressure or blood sugar medications, it advises discussing stevia with a healthcare provider; animal data suggest additive effects, and clinical relevance is undetermined⁵.

Last updated October 17, 2026. Read how we make monographs.

In the full monograph

66 sources, 53 studies

When to useThe situations practitioners use it for, each with the reason and the study behind it.
SafetyWho should avoid it, who needs extra care, and the side effects reported in studies.
InteractionsThe medicines and supplements it interacts with, the effect of each, and what labeling says to watch.
Protocol notesThe doses used in studies, how and when they were taken, and how the forms on the market compare.
How it worksWhat it is and how it works in the body, in plain terms.
Published studiesThe studies behind each use, popular claims checked against them, and trials still under way.
Word of mouthWhat patients and practitioners report online, kept separate from the clinical evidence.
Clinical perspectiveA closing read of where the evidence is solid, where it is thin, and what has not been studied.

Snapshot

In the full monograph

Sources