What Is Gum?

Gum has a whole variety of interesting uses—many of them more important than providing you with something to chew on! And, of course, there are a great many different kinds of gums.

One gum, called gum arabic, is used in making candy, medicines, and mucilage, and in the manufacture of silks. Like most of the true gums, it comes from the plant as a thick, sticky liquid, which hardens when exposed to air and dissolves in water.

Gum arabic is produced by several varieties of acacia trees, which grow in Africa, Australia, and Asia. It is sold in the form of clear yellow or reddish lumps. Some gums, instead of dissolving in water, absorb it and make a soft, gluey, gelatine-like mass. One such gum is called gum dragon, and is used in making cough medicines and as a sizing in cloth.

Another important gum is cherry gum, which is used in stiffening straw for the manufacture of straw hats and other articles. Other common gums are plum, peach, spruce, and chicle.

Chicle is produced by the naseberry and other trees and is used in making ordinary chewing gum. All these gums are used in the man­ufacture of ink, cloth, paper, and medicines. Some of the finest gums are used in medical and research laboratories for work with cultures.

Most gums are gathered in the dry seasons and brought to the markets in the form of nodules or "tears". Chemically, gums consist of an acid nucleus combined with sugar molecules.

In addition to the true gums we have described above, there are gum resins. They are also produced by plants, but they differ from true gums because they contain resin, and therefore will not dissolve completely in water.

Two famous gum resins are frankincense and myrrh. They are very fragrant and are used in making perfume and incense.