Stevia rebaudiana leaves contain diterpene glycosides which taste sweet but with zero calories in food products. Stevia has been used by native Guarani Indians of South America for centuries as sweetener to counteract the bitter taste of various medicines and beverages. Diterpene glycosides produced by this plant are 100–300 times sweeter than sucrose and are now used as sweeteners to replace sugar in foods and beverages. They remain stable at wide range of temperature and pH conditions in food products during processing and offer no shelf life limitations. These glycosides do not induce glycemic response when ingested, making them suitable for diabetics and obese persons. India has huge demand potentials for this natural sweetener because of increasing diabetic and obese population. In this article effort was made to discuss briefly about plant profile and basic techniques of cultivation, harvesting, drying and extraction of steviol glycosides. Further, this article represents an effort to compile information on safety issues and approval made by regulatory agencies regarding utilization of steviol glycosides in food products around the world.