Stevia really is natural. You can literally buy chopped up or powdered leaves of the plant and add it to your food as is. Of course, more often it is processed somewhat to remove the grassy taste and leave only the sugary taste, and then it comes in a liquid or something. Point is, this is not the new aspartame, it's a plant product. After it is refined (just like sugar is refined) it is 300 times sweeter and without the unhealthy effects of eating cane. It is not exactly the same taste, and some people don't like it. But it's definitely not synthetic or fake.