(Polymnia sonchifolia syn. smallanthus sonchifolius)

I wanted to introduce you to a great sweetner alternative. I use it medicinally as a prebiotic to feed cultures. Yakon is an ideal addition to everyone's diet whether dieting or just maintaining a balanced healthy life style. It is especially suited to Diabetics. Yakon tubers harvested in late Autumn are sweet, crispy but have low calories due to the indigstable long chain sugars called Oligosaccharides and fructans. They also activate bifidobacteria, these are the good guys, and suppress putrefication in the bowels. Due to improvement of the gut microflora there is reducution in the content of cholesterol, triglycerides, fatty acids in the blood, and reduces blood sugar and blood pressure. Red Yakon also contains as much polyphenol as red wine. FYI, Raw Chocolate has 30% more than red wine. The roots contain potassium and the antioxidant vitamins A, C and E. Yacon syrup is glucose free and contains at least 30% fructooligosaccharides (FOS). FOS is a common prebiotic that aids digestion and helps to stimulate the colon. Prebiotics are the food for Probiotics. You can also find aloe as a prebiotic. FOS cannot be absorbed by the body which makes it naturally low in calories and low glycemic (some proponents of the syrup go so far as to say that yacon is non glycemic). Those sugars remaining in the plant that are not FOS are absorbed slowly into the bloodstream. There are many benefits to FOS supplementation, including better absorption of calcium and magnesium and it helps increase bone density. For this reason seniors with osteoporosis often take FOS supplements