Also known as the sugar leaf herb, this wonderful plant is used in its native Paraguay and throughout South America as a sugar substitute. It has almost none of the calories that sugar has and can be used by people with sugar intolerance.
Use the leaves fresh or dried or make a solution in water. It is much sweeter than sugar. Use 1/2 teaspoon of fresh leaves to replace 2 tablespoons of sugar.
This perennial herb grows freely on river banks in poor sandy soils. In the garden, give it rich loamy soil and keep it mulched and watered.
Use the leaves any time but harvest the whole crop in the Autumn before growth dies back. It will grow back the following Spring.
Cold sensitive until established. Try it in pots that can be moved to a warmer spot during the winter.
