What did chewing gum used to be made out of?
Chewing gum
Chewing gum in many forms has existed since the Neolithic period. 6,000-year-old chewing gum made from birch bark tar, with tooth imprints, has been found in Kierikki in Finland. The tar from which the gums were made is believed to have antiseptic properties and other medicinal benefits.[4] It is chemically similar to petroleum tar and is in this way different from most other early gum.[5][6] The Mayans and Aztecs were the first to exploit the positive properties of gum,[7] they used chicle, a natural tree gum, as a base for making a gum-like substance[8] and to stick objects together in everyday use. Forms of chewing gums were also chewed in Ancient Greece. The Ancient Greeks chewed mastic gum, made from the resin of the mastic tree.[9] Mastic gum, like birch bark tar, has antiseptic properties and is believed to have been used to maintain oral health.[10] Both chicle and mastic are tree resins. Many other cultures have chewed gum-like substances made from plants, grasses, and resins.
Functional chewing gum
Functional chewing gum is the name given to types of chewing gum which impart some practical function instead of, or in addition to, the usual enjoyment provided by a traditional chewing gum as a confectionery product. Examples of this include nicotine gum which is used to aid smoking cessation & so-called Think Gum which designers say they believe may enhance mental functioning. It could be argued that most gum (at least the mint varieties) provides some function in that they can improve bad breath, but such an effect is so widespread that the term 'functional' is almost always applied to gum with some additional function. Medical uses for 'functional chewing gum' include a reported reduction in the duration of post-operative ileus following abdominal and specifically gastrointestinal surgery.