Stevia is a natural sweetener and sugar substitute derivied from the leaves of the plant species stevia rebaudiana, native to Brazil and Paraguay. The active compounds are steviol glycosides, which have about 50 to 300 times the sweetness of sugar, are heat-stable, pH-stable, and not fermentable. The human body does not metabolize the glycosides in stevia, so it contains zero calories as a non-nutritive sweetener. Stevia's taste has a slower onset and longer duration than that of sugar. Stevia is used in sugar-reduced and calorie-reduced food and beverage products as an alternative for products with sugar.  Stevia does not promote tooth decay as verified by the American Dental Association.