i don't know if i would boycott stevia because some random people on another continent decided to test it on some hamsters- there was nothing i could do about it, and it didn't need testing like that in the first place, as far as i'm concerned- it had already been available and utilised for centuries without health concerns arising. i bet independant people have done similar tests on hamsters with chocolate, lemons, sawdust, and carrots, etc.
i can't control what these people have done, (i don't know if it was a stevia company who ordered the testing- if so, fine, boycott that company!) i can just try and influence what they continue to do- by lobbying to changing the laws, etc. boycotting stevia isn't going to help with this, in my opinion- it'll just help the huge sugar and artificial sweetener industry.
I'm also dubious about the FDA thing- especially when it comes to the book burning crusade they launched too- don't see anyone burning books on how to make bombs, but books on a herb, those are scary.
stevia is used, and has been used for decades, in lots of products- especially in asia, where many artificial sweetners such as aspartame are illegal (due to safety concerns)- products including those made by coca cola, sunkist and nestle (maybe boycotting
these guys is a good idea, lol!), and in things like pickles and soysauce. its totally illegal in the UK, which i find very irritating- so i have to just use it in Canada and do without when i'm home.
you can buy stevia online in 'health' drinks (that look mysteriously like canned soda and hot chocolate powder, lol!) and in chewing gums, toothpastes, etc. i use liquid stevia in drinks and suchlike- i definately prefer it to using sugar- which in my mind is an awful product, healthwise.
i don't have much experience of using it in cooking myself, but know that you can find specific stevia recipes, especially on websites that sell stevia, but if you adjust your own recipes, you need to allow for the loss of volume, caramelisation, binding, moisture, and other properties that sugar brings to baking. it won't activate yeast or fermentation (to bake breads, make beer etc) either. but as far as i'm concerned, thats balanced by the thought that it won't rot your teeth or lead to diabetes, either, lol.
its very sweet, you need a drop in place of a teaspoonful of sugar, but its not sweet in a sugary way- its hard to describe. it often has a mild aniseedy aftertaste- the sweetness is quite zingy, so don't overdo it if you use it or it'll make you go 'bleurgh!' less is definately more, with stevia.
i don't know much about this magazine, but this article does present a lot of information:
http://www.nexusmagazine.com/articles/stevia.html