http://www.feingold.org/PF/pf_stevia.html discusses an herbal
sweetener that allows a person to avoid sugar and its harmful
effects. Stevia can be grown at home, so you pick fresh what you
want, as you want it. Very nice idea!

"Stevia is a calorie-free sweetener that has none of the harmful
side effects of aspartame, saccharine or cyclamates. Called
"honey leaf" by the natives of Paraguay, where it has been used
for centuries, stevia has actually been found to offer some health
benefits. (Advocates claim it inhibits the development of dental
plaque.)" Source: http://www.feingold.org/PF/pf_stevia.html