Many of the popular chewing gums are made of chicle.
Chicle is the sap (latex) of the sapodilla tree, which grows in the tropical rain forests of Central America.

The Maya Indians chewed chicle as early as A.D. 1100, and in 1869 the famous 'Mexican general, Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna imported it to the U.S. as a possible replacement for rubber.

The experiment failed, but the inventor Thomas Adams combinded it with flavorings and sugar to create a popular alternative to what Americans had been chewing.. Spruce Resin Gum.
(lovely piney taste...)

Since then improvements have been made to the formula to produce the gums we all know and love today.

That makes sense after all the years i was told not to eat gum becuase it does not break down well in your body.

I never knew they did make it from sap from latex tree.

That explains why they say never to eat gum or swallow it. I guess it realy does not break down.

Funny that many Indians already discover or invented something but never given due recognition by the British visitors.

I was actually looking for something else when I stumbled upon this post. We deal a lot with latex gloves and have to be very careful wrt to latex allergies due to skin contact alone. The consequences of someone with a latex allergy chewing gum are quite frightening yet I can't ever recall seeing a warning on a gum packet. I guess this must be due to any latex proteins being completely removed during processing. Interestingly, latex sensitivities can develop over a period of years. Is there any evidence of individuals developing gum allergies?

i have tried this chew gum i found it good..

Not sure if they still use it in gum now. I chew gum rarley but have to read ingredients after reading this post. Mom was right do not swallow your gum i guess.