kaa he-he = carcinogen or obesity cure

At a party last night, I heard someone ask "How do you sweeten something with Stevia?" This led me to read about an herb that is supposedly sweether than sugar, is used as a sweetener in other countries, has no calories, does not promote tooth decay, is safe for diabetics, and usually runs into trouble with the FDA when it surfaces. I do not know if any of this is true, but the libertarian in me always loves these type of stories. Here is some reading:

• stevia.net
  
• The Sweet Secret of Stevia on The Practical Hippie
  
• The Stevia FAQ on what appears to be a Canadian government webiste
  
• www.cookingwithstevia.com - The site of a cookbook that claims to have been among some literature that was almost destroyed by the FDA in a stevia raid.
  
• Another site discussing book burnings and other sweetner alternatives.