Stevia is a plant with green leaves, native to South America and used for hundreds of years for its extremely sweet leaves. Recently, stevia has become famous as a natural sweetener that is 40 times sweeter than sugar but does not affect blood sugar levels, which is a wonderful alternative to losing weight. However, the benefits of stevia do not stop there, apparently it can even fight against Lyme disease according to a recent study!
Stevia Fights Lyme Disease?
While this sounds incredible, there is some evidence to suggest that a beneficial side effect of stevia could kill Borrelia Burgdorferi, the pathogen that causes Lyme disease.
Lyme disease is a stealth infection transmitted through the bite of an infected tick. This condition is commonly known as "The Great Mimic", because its symptoms often mimic those of other diseases such as thyroid disease, lupus, generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, depression, chronic fatigue syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis rheumatoid and fibromyalgia.
Most doctors rely on the ELISA test when Lyme disease is suspected for the first time, although some studies indicate that the test misses up to 50% of Lyme cases. In addition, most people never remember a tick bite or see the rash that reveals Lyme disease. According to the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society, no study has shown that short-term antibiotic treatment effectively treats the infection.
Obviously, we need better options. A 2015 study published in the European Journal of Microbiology and Immunology suggests that one should turn to plant extracts.
The details of the study
Researchers at New Haven University discovered that exposure of Borrelia Burgdorferi to the extract of stevia leaves had eliminated Lyme disease in its various forms. These different forms include spirochetes B. burgdorferi, spheroplasts (L-shape), round bodies and hard-to-kill shapes like those in biofilm.
But why so many forms? It is for the survival of the bacteria, as the latter has developed new forms to strengthen its defenses against conventional antibiotics.
Researchers used four types of stevia: three in liquid form derived from standard alcohol extraction and one in powder form. Liquid-diluted powdered stevia has not shown promise for killing Lyme disease, but stevia extracts from alcohol have done so.
Stevia Leaf Extract has surpassed the medications often used to treat Lyme disease such as: doxycycline, cefoperazone, daptomycin and their mixture.
Interestingly, a week after treatment, the bacterium Borrelia Burgdorferi began to surface again in the antibiotic groups. Even worse, the Borrelia Burgdorferi-shaped biofilm associated with Lyme disease has grown in size with standard antibiotic therapy. This did not occur in the stevia group, which appeared to be complete destruction for the bacteria after seven days.
Towards a treatment based on stevia?
If stevia fights Lyme disease, can we use it officially as medicine for the human body? This is a laboratory study where scientists were treating bacteria in test tubes and petri dishes, so it is still early for researchers to be able to prescribe whole extracts of liquid stevia leaves to treat the disease. of Lyme, but that does not mean that you should avoid it in your diet. Studies in humans are recommended to see if stevia effectively kills the disease in humans. In other words, clinical trials are needed.
Research continues
Today, researchers at New Haven University are still studying the impact of liquid stevia leaf extract on Lyme disease. According to the New Haven Register, Professor Eva Sapi, and her students conducted confirmatory studies after the 2015 study. On many occasions, stevia emerged as an effective product against Lyme disease. Dr. Sapi said that so far, she has not yet seen a better result to fight against Lyme disease, even for the most used antibiotics.
The professor was also affected by Lyme disease and began testing. From its first experiences, liquid stevia extract has been shown to be a possible treatment for Lyme disease. Today, she is waiting to learn the results of a clinical trial involving stevia and antibiotics in New York. Which is very promising for the treatment of the disease.
