A Review of Anti Diabetic Properties of Non-Caloric Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni

Diabetes is a chronic disease having its roots throughout the world. This disease occurs due to increase in the level of glucose in blood. Stevia rebaudiana is useful for the treatment of diabetes. It is native to South America having great potential for production of natural sugar. Its leaves produce non-caloric diterpene glycosides compounds, which are 300 times sweeter than sucrose. It is beneficial for the human health because it has low calorie and also has an anti-cancer, anti-microbial and anti-fungal properties. It is an important source of carbohydrates, crude fibre, protein, minerals and essential amino acids. Approximately, it has eight compounds which are the source of sweetness that is present in leaves. The two out of eight sweetness compounds include stevioside and stevioside A. Sweetness compound stevioside is more abundant than stevioside A in its leaves. In addition to its therapeutic properties, it has antihypertensive, anti-cancerous, antihyperglycemic and contraceptive properties. This plant doesn’t have mutation effect and help in secretion of insulin in body.