ABSTRACT
Declining efficacy of synthetic medications and proven therapeutic values of plants in curing many health maladies with minimal side effects has led to a rise in the usage of medicinal plants worldwide. A majority of the therapies make use of extracts and active ingredients of the medicinal plants. Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni.is such a medico-potent plant species belonging to the family Asteraceae/Compositae. It is a small perennial herb, native to Paraguay, and is widely called sugar herb, candy leaf, bio sweetener and sweet herb of Paraguay. It gained economic significance due to its substantial contribution to the sugar industry that abundantly employs its sweet leaves to sweeten beverages. Besides its industrial applications, stevia retains numerous health advantages along with anti-coagulant, anti-diabetic, anti-hypertensive, antimicrobial, and antioxidant properties due to the presence of various bioactive compounds viz. stevioside, steviolbioside, isosteviol, rebaudiosides, and so on. Due to its self-incompatibility, stevia is usually propagated by seed and cuttings. It is now being used worldwide for its various properties. This ubiquitous plant species has immense future promise, but further research is indeed required. Therefore, an attempt has been made to compile additional information on the phytography, bioactive compounds, pharmacological aspects, propagation, and industrial applications of S. rebaudiana in this chapter.
