Spruce gum is a chewing material made from the resin of spruce trees. In North America, spruce

resin In polymer chemistry and materials science, resin is a solid or highly viscous substance of plant or synthetic origin that is typically convertible into polymers. Resins are usually mixtures of organic compounds. This article focuses on n ...

was chewed by Native Americans, and was later introduced to the early American pioneers and was sold commercially by the 19th century, by John B. Curtis amongst others. It has also been used as an adhesive. Indigenous women in North America used spruce gum to caulk seams of birch-bark canoes. Spruce gum has been used medicinally, primarily to heal deep cuts and sores in the

Dene The Dene people () are an indigenous group of First Nations who inhabit the northern boreal and Arctic regions of Canada. The Dene speak Northern Athabaskan languages. ''Dene'' is the common Athabaskan word for "people". The term "Dene" ha ...

culture. In the 1870s, Sisters of Providence located in Montreal, Canada, developed a spruce gum syrup for treating coughs and bronchitis. In the 20th century, commercial spruce tree processing turned to

paper Paper is a thin sheet material produced by mechanically or chemically processing cellulose fibres derived from wood, rags, grasses or other vegetable sources in water, draining the water through fine mesh leaving the fibre evenly distrib ...

manufacturing to meet demand from the

newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as p ...

industry, thereby reducing the availability of spruce for other purposes, including the production of spruce gum. Today, it is available in small batches made at home rather than commercially. It is often flavored with mint or fruit.

References

Chewing gum Native American cuisine Indigenous cuisine in Canada American confectionery Canadian confectionery {{confection-stub