Can Stevia prevent/limit the Triangluar Slave Trade?

Sugar Cane - Triangluar Slave Trade - Stevia

After the discovery of the New World, vast fields of crops such as sugar cane were grown to feed the European empires. Before long, British and French plantations in the West Indies began to dominate. British west coast ports such as Bristol and Liverpool thrived on the sugar cane industry and refineries and packaging factories were set up. But this went hand in hand with a much more sinister trade of the time - the transatlantic slave trade. Sugar was the main cash crops, which can be seen in the fact that colonial powers preferred small tropical islands over waster land gains in North America.
But what would have happened if Columbus found out about the existence of ka'a he'ê ("sweet herb"). The POD would be that it spread from the mainland Guaraní peoples of Paraguay, Bolivia and Brazil to the island like Cuba and the Bahamans. Colmbus would propably recognize the usefulness of this crops given that he brought sugar cane already during his second voyage to the Americas. Initially to the island of Hispaniola (modern day Haiti and the Dominican Republic) Stevia has many advantages over sugar cane but the most important one would be that it can probably be cultivated without resorting to slave labour.
(This is not an advertisement thread for stevia also it might look like that after re-reading it myself:), but a serious attempt to replace a truly devious plant.)

Stevia:
Stevia is a genus of about 240 species of herbs and shrubs in the sunflower family (Asteraceae), native to subtropical and tropical regions from western North America to South America. The species Stevia rebaudiana, commonly known as sweetleaf, sweet leaf, sugarleaf, or simply stevia, is widely grown for its sweet leaves. As a sweetener and sugar substitute, stevia's taste has a slower onset and longer duration than that of sugar, although some of its extracts may have a bitter or licorice-like aftertaste at high concentrations. With its steviol glycoside extracts having up to 300 times the sweetness of sugar without having any of the negative side effects namely obesity and caries.

Advantages of Stevia:
Can grow nearly everywhere by everyone (compared to sugarcane):
Today it is grown mainly in Paraguay, Brazil, Japan and China. There are other growers scattered across the Pacific Rim. Stevia is also being cultivated in Southern Ontario and Mexico. Surprisingly, it has been successfully grown in California and the South of England as well.

Harvesting and Procession:
The harvest seems to be rather normal compared to the back breaking labor used for sugar cane, and might be done by normal farm work instead of slaves. There are several methods to process and preseve Stevia non of them to complicated.

Fresh leaves for tea or eat a few right off the plant can be used but are obviously not useful for commercial use. Plants are easily dried by hanging upside down in a dry, warm, drafty location. Lots of plants can be hung from strings or wires strung across the ceiling. Kept in a clean environment the can be used for years. Another alternative ist to strip fresh leaves from stems and spread on elevated screens in the sunshine, on a day with low relative humidity (less than 60%). If drying takes 8 hours or less, very little Stevioside will be lost. A food dehydrator on low heat (100 F to 110 F) will do an excellent job as well. Leaves are crisp, crumbly, and bright green when fully dry.
While whole leaves are great for making tea, it's easy to turn them into Green Stevia Powder with a grinder. A liquid extract can be made from the whole Stevia leaves or from the green herbal Stevia powder as well. Simply a measured portion of Stevia leaves or herbal powder is combined with pure grain alcohol (Bran or, or Scotch and the mixture is let alone for 24 hours. Now the liquid is filtered from the leaves or powder residue and dilute to taste using pure water. Note that the alcohol content can be reduced by very slowly heating (not boiling) the extract and allowing the alcohol to evaporate off. A pure water extract can be similarly prepared, but will not extract quite as much of the sweet glycosides as will the alcohol. Either liquid extract can be cooked down and concentrated into a syrup.

Not detrimental for teeth maybe even have positive effects:
Two tests conducted by Purdue University's Dental Science Research Group have concluded that Stevioside is both fluo-ride compatible and "significantly" inhibits the development of plaque, thus Stevia may actually help to prevent cavities. Realizing this advantage migrt need some alternate Pierre Fauchard.

Insect repelling:
Stevia rebaudiana is of special interest to organic gardeners because of the plant's insect repelling tendencies. The sweetness of the plant provides natural defense mechanisms against aphids and other insects. Even crop-devouring grasshoppers avoid the plants.

Question:


Is it plausible that Stevia/Sweet leaf/ capim doce could replace sugar cane or be at least a competitor? Once the true origins of caries are found out it should gain an impressive advantage a least. A nice side effect might be that the obesity epidemic in the industrialized world could be be averted as well.


Ideally the poet William Cowper wont never need to write "The Negro's Complaint,"
Why did all-creating Nature
Make the plant for which we toil?
Sighs must fan it, Tears must water,
Sweat of ours must dress the soil.
Think ye Masters, iron-hearted,
Lolling at your jovial Boards,
Think how many Backs have smarted
For the Sweets your Cane affords!​
 
Uhh...

Stevia is only useful as a sugar substitute for the modern world because our needs our different (e.g., we care more about preventing obesity then hunger). People in the pre-modern era either wouldn't have to worry about getting fat, or if they were wealthy, wouldn't care.

Plus, I don't think you can really make rum from Stevia, given you need a source of sugar to ferment alcohol.
 
If you think about it, the Atlantic plantation economy involved a lot of narcoterrorism! Tobacco and chocolate are clearly "drugs" but one reason sugar is so desired is the sugar rush; factor in that making into rum was a practical way of shipping it, and we had an economy based on global-scale drug dealing. Puts the Opium Wars in a slightly different perspective; before doing unto the Chinese, the British were perfectly willing to do unto themselves first.
 

Lusitania

Donor
You are asking if the a different product would of stopped the slave trade, to that I say no.

We are talking about a Europe where a good two thirds were serfs, property of the landowners. When the Portuguese went to west coast of Africa the first items they brought back was Slaves. The reconquista of the Iberian Peninsula had produced thousands of slaves/serfs and so did the conquest of North Africa.

Salvery was not limited to one country or even religion it was institutional. It will take the eligtenment movement for people to turn against slavery and even that did not do away withit for good till economics made it too expensive.

Slaves would of been used for tobacco, cotton. The cotton gin did more to promote clavery than sugar. For the advent of the cotton gin meant that plantation could be setup all across the US South.

Blacks were imported to the New world because the natives were not as inclined to work and were dying off in rapid numbers due to European diseases.
 
You are asking if the a different product would of stopped the slave trade, to that I say no.

We are talking about a Europe where a good two thirds were serfs, property of the landowners. When the Portuguese went to west coast of Africa the first items they brought back was Slaves. The reconquista of the Iberian Peninsula had produced thousands of slaves/serfs and so did the conquest of North Africa.

Salvery was not limited to one country or even religion it was institutional. It will take the eligtenment movement for people to turn against slavery and even that did not do away withit for good till economics made it too expensive.

Slaves would of been used for tobacco, cotton. The cotton gin did more to promote clavery than sugar. For the advent of the cotton gin meant that plantation could be setup all across the US South.

Blacks were imported to the New world because the natives were not as inclined to work and were dying off in rapid numbers due to European diseases.
Indeed, it seems than in any TL where the Europeans reach the New World you get massive slavery. It is enough to make one want to give up.
 
No their excists one county where slavery does not excist in Europe ever.... San Marino!!!!!! Yeah San Marino manages to get colonies in the new world, then we see little slavery, or how about the PLC, wait were their slaves In Plc???? See some places do excist:p
 
Interesting WI and welcome aboard! :)

Like others have said I doubt it totally replaces sugar since you can do more with sugar than just sweeten things (rum, molasses, caramels, etc.). Plus processing sugar from cane is relatively easy with the technology of the time and is easily transportable without decay--dried stevia leaves will be lighter but far bulkier (tradeoff) and will lose their oils over time. You couldn't extract the stevia essences into dry crystals back then. Probably makes sweeteners cheaper due to increased options.

What this does is makes northern climates profitable for cash crop agriculture, meaning you could arguably turn northern colonies into plantation economies, which is bad for extending slavery, actually.
 
Interesting WI and welcome aboard! :)

Like others have said I doubt it totally replaces sugar since you can do more with sugar than just sweeten things (rum, molasses, caramels, etc.). Plus processing sugar from cane is relatively easy with the technology of the time and is easily transportable without decay--dried stevia leaves will be lighter but far bulkier (tradeoff) and will lose their oils over time. You couldn't extract the stevia essences into dry crystals back then. Probably makes sweeteners cheaper due to increased options.

What this does is makes northern climates profitable for cash crop agriculture, meaning you could arguably turn northern colonies into plantation economies, which is bad for extending slavery, actually.
How is it labor wise though? Sugar labor was always in the planting/harvesting which is very hard and was only automated recently. If Stevia is easier to harvest (as the OP says) that is going to be a distinct advantage and make sugar a little less profitable because it will grab the sweet-stuff market, at least for middle-lower classes.
 
How is it labor wise though? Sugar labor was always in the planting/harvesting which is very hard and was only automated recently. If Stevia is easier to harvest (as the OP says) that is going to be a distinct advantage and make sugar a little less profitable because it will grab the sweet-stuff market, at least for middle-lower classes.

Well, I'd assume exactly as labor intensive as mint or basil, i.e. you need plenty of people to physically harvest the leaves and dry them. The wiki article claims few of the seeds germinate and modern stevia is mostly from cloned plants. With a big enough demand you could justify slave plantations...though certainly if the peasants of Europe start growing it in their gardens it'll quickly become the peasant sweetener.

Still, I think while this'll take a big bite out of sugar's market it won't kill it. Too many other uses for sugar like rum and molasses. A sugar cone will last you years and only take up about as much space as a wine bottle. Plus status symbol snob appeal could possibly drive the wealthy to use it over "peasant" stevia, but that's speculation.

It's an interesting question, innit?
 

archaeogeek

Banned
You are asking if the a different product would of stopped the slave trade, to that I say no.

We are talking about a Europe where a good two thirds were serfs, property of the landowners. When the Portuguese went to west coast of Africa the first items they brought back was Slaves. The reconquista of the Iberian Peninsula had produced thousands of slaves/serfs and so did the conquest of North Africa.

Salvery was not limited to one country or even religion it was institutional. It will take the eligtenment movement for people to turn against slavery and even that did not do away withit for good till economics made it too expensive.

Slaves would of been used for tobacco, cotton. The cotton gin did more to promote clavery than sugar. For the advent of the cotton gin meant that plantation could be setup all across the US South.

Blacks were imported to the New world because the natives were not as inclined to work and were dying off in rapid numbers due to European diseases.

Actually, the very first slave-driven cash crop in the US was tobacco.
 
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