Natural chewing gums existed long before the modern ones that we eat today. In Ancient Greece, they had the Mastiche, while the North American Indians were chewing spruce tree sap. In 1848, John Bacon Curtis sold the first commercial chewing gum. More than a century after its invention, chewing gum has evolved into different types, some of which are even used for medicinal purposes.
Modern Gum
Modern gums are based on two major gum base products; a natural latex product known as the "chicle," and a form of butyl rubber called "polyisobutylene." Butyl rubber is widely used on many modern gums because of economical and quality reasons. For flavoring, gums are infused with natural sugar or corn syrup to achieve a sweet taste, and fruit extracts and synthetic fruit flavoring are also added for variety. These additives also contribute to the gum's elasticity.
Functional Gums
Functional gums are chewed because of their effects on our body. Most functional gums are made like basic gums but are infused with vitamins and minerals that the body absorbs while chewing. These gums are infused with taurine, guarana and caffeine. Some gums even offer 100% of the Recommended Daily Allowance of several vitamins that include vitamin B12 and Vitamin C. Other gums function like an energy bar, as a thirst quencher or as a breath freshener.
Medicated and Dental Gum
Medicated and dental gums perform specific functions for the body. As the name implies, medicated gums are infused with medicines and other chemicals to help the body recover from certain ailments. The main purpose of this type of gum is that it introduces the medication in the bloodstream faster than medicine in pill form. Dental gums are chewed to help whiten and clean your teeth.
Nicotine Gum
A nicotine gum is a special gum infused with a small amount of nicotine. This type of gum is advisable to cigarette smokers who are finding smoking a hard habit to quit. The purpose of the gum is to slowly induce small amounts of nicotine to the body, therefore eliminating the need to smoke a cigarette. To quit the nicotine gum, you need to regulate your daily intake and gradually decrease it. Start replacing your daily dosage of nicotine gum with a sugarless gum, until such a time that you won't tell the difference between the two. By this time, you can start chewing sugarless gums, enabling you to quit nicotine gums.
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