So far the Food and Drug Administration has banned it's use as a food additive, but it can be sold as a dietary supplement. I did a search on dangers of stevia, and checked a lot of sites. I didn't find anything proving any dangers. In fact there were more references to the dangers of aspartame, saccharine, refined sugar cane, etc. And here's an interesting tidbit I stumbled across in my search... "As for the future of Stevia, Coca Cola plans to market stevia under the trade name of Rebiana and is currently patent-pending. This calorie-free food and beverage sweetener is also being marketed under the Cargill corporation, a food and agricultural provider. Likewise, both these companies hope that Rebiana will gain FDA approval as a food additive, and be widely marketed in the United States by 2009."

It's not important what it says on the outside of the bag - what's important is what's IN the bag; and all "cactus mixes" are not created equal. Cactus mix 'A' may be entirely appropriate for a particular herb, while cactus mix 'B' may be entirely inappropriate for the same plant. There is no way to make a determination based on what label the packager put on the bag. If anything, I'd be concerned that some cactus mixes hold TOO MUCH water to be appropriate for either cacti or herbs; so Rhizo's hedging was entirely appropriate and essentially what I'd have said. Neither of us are willing to accept what it says on a bag of soil at face value unless we know the soil. Ideally, you want a soil that holds good amounts of moisture, but doesn't support perched water. Perched water is the water that occupies the soggy layer of soil at the bottom of the pot that occurs as a result of using MOST commercially prepared potting soils; so I would say that from the plant's perspective, what most of you consider to be ordinary, good-quality potting mix is too water retentive to offer your plant to grow at even close to its potential. I tend to look at things from the plant's perspective; and to a plant, there really isn't such a thing as draining too fast. There is a balance to be reached when it comes to watering frequency, but you can almost predict an increase in potential growth and vitality as the need to water increases. IOW, soils that need more frequent watering can generally be counted on to significantly increase the potential for growth and vitality, while at the same time increasing the growers margin for error when it comes to watering and fertilizing. Let me know if you'd like to know more. Al

I can't really give you a whole lot of information about things in your area, but I can tell you that oregano is certainly a perennial here in Savannah, as is thyme. My rosemary is certainly a shrub. Basil is an annual. Parsley is a biennial, and most folks treat it as an annual. I'll sometimes let it grow through the second year and go to seed, as I've gotten little "volunteers" that way. Dill is an annual, and you can use both the leaves and the seeds. And I'm with you on the e-mail issue. I have never gotten an e-mail notification of a reply to anything I've ever posted. Which sucks.

There are many posts on this forum about stevia, and I suggest you do a search here and on the American herb forum, using the 'entire site' button. Stevia cannot always be used as a substitute for sugar, except as a sweetener/flavour. For instance, it's not suitable for making jams or confectionery, because it doesn't form a 'toffee' or syrup. It can be used in jams which are intended for immediate use, as a flavouring, but you must use pectin to get the jam to set. Such jams will have a short shelf-life (about a week) because of the reduction of sugar, which acts as a preservative. You can add stevia to cakes, biscuits etc as a sweetener, but it does have a peculiar, earthy after-taste disliked by some. The following advice should be regarded as a rough guide only. The sweetness of stevia can range anything from 10-600 times the sweetness of sugar, depending on where the stevia was grown, soil conditions, time of harvest, method of preparation, and many other factors. Use dried, powdered leaves as a substitute for sugar. One tablespoon of stevia or less is equivalent to about 1 cup sugar. Some people notice a slight after-taste, while others do not. A liquid sweetener is made by pouring 1 litre boiling water over 1 tablespoon dried leaves and leaving to infuse. Refrigerate and use within a few days, or freeze for later. To make a syrup, place 4 teaspoons dried powdered leaves in a saucepan with 2 cups water, simmer slowly for 10-15 minutes. Cool and refrigerate. A teaspoon of Vitamin C powder may be added to act as a preservative. An infusion of fresh or dried leaves can be drunk as a beverage, hot or cold, or added to other herbs as a sweetener. If using fresh leaves to replace dried quantities listed above, multiply the amount 5 times. Approximately 6 large leaves chopped finely is a substitute for 1/2 cup of sugar for baking or in cooked recipes. 1 teaspoon of ground stevia is equal to 1 cup of sugar 2 drops of liquid essence is equal to 1 teaspoon sugar. A liquid sweetener can be made by steeping 1 tablespoon of dried stevia leaves in 1 litre of boiling water. An extract can be made by combining 1 cup vodka with 3/4 cup fresh stevia leaves in a jar. Shake every day for 2 weeks, then filter through a coffee filter. Add a drop to beverages.