It is "a native to subtropical and tropical South America and Central America."
"Millions of Japanese people have been using stevia for over thirty years with no reported or known harmful effects.[32] Similarly, stevia leaves have been used for centuries in South America spanning multiple generations in ethno-medical tradition as a treatment of type II diabetes." Wikipedia
Replied By Lori (La Pine, Or) on 01/24/2013
Please be careful with stevia. I was consuming it in my teas and daily vitamin drinks, and found I had problems swallowing pills and breathing... Would sit in my recliner and just gasp for breath! This went on for a considerable time before I figured out the cause was the stevia! There can be side effects to anything you consume and we all need to use caution and be a food detective!Replied By Sheila (Ky) on 01/08/2018
It is in the ragweed family! So many people are highly allergic to ragweed and react badly to stevia! I suffered for years before I figured out it was the stevia was making me ill!