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- Title
The Global Origins of a "Paraguayan" Sweetener: Ka'a He'e and Stevia in the Twentieth Century.
- Authors
CHESTERTON, BRIDGET MARÍA; YANG, TIMOTHY
- Abstract
This article examines the transformation of ka'a he'e, a little- known Paraguayan medicinal herb, to stevia, the popular no-calorie sweetener. It traces how twentieth-century scientists, politicians, and entrepreneurs--from Paraguay to Europe to the United States to Japan and back--helped bring stevia to market and shape its image as a "natural" sugar substitute. It emphasizes that stevia's Paraguayan origins had very little to do with its development. In the end, the product--in both substance and purpose--was vastly different from the herbal remedy common to indigenous Paraguayan medicinal traditions. In the late twentieth century and early twenty-first, Paraguayan politicians and businessmen sought, albeit unsuccessfully, to (re)claim stevia as their own.
- Subjects
STEVIA; HERBAL medicine; NONNUTRITIVE sweeteners; BOMPAS &; Parr (Company); BUSINESSMEN; HISTORY
- Publication
Journal of World History, 2016, Vol 27, Issue 2, p255
- ISSN
1045-6007
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1353/jwh.2016.0107