The plant can grow up to 3 feet tall. The leaves grows up to 3 inches tall and up to one inch wide. For hundreds of years, indigenous peoples in Brazil and Paraguay have used the leaves as a sweetener. Today it is used in Japan as a noncaloric sweetener but, has not been approved for this use in the United States by the FDA.

Stevia is available in bulk, in tea bags, or as a liquid extract.. If you purchase stevia in bulk, individual leaves can be sprinkled over salads and substituted for sugar in recipes..

Part used: Leaves.