Many gums or resins from trees have favorable profiles. One of my favorite is greek mastic gum which you can buy raw and chews just like a gum. It reduces bacteria in the mouth and do a ton of healthful things. I have a strong preference to medications that have been used successfully for thousands of years over newly developed drugs with unknown risks for long term use, and sometime short term use.

“The Jerusalem Balsam, a remedy based on an ethanolic extract of a herbal mixture, was formulated in 1719 in the pharmacy of the Saint Savior monastery in the old city of Jerusalem… one of the formulas, found in a manuscript form in the archive of the monastery, contains four plants: olibanum (Boswellia spp.), myrrh (Commiphora spp.), aloe (Aloe sp.) and mastic (Pistacia lentiscus L.). We conducted pharmacological assays on this four-plant formula. It showed anti-inflammatory, as well as anti-oxidative, and anti-septic properties.” [The Jerusalem Balsam: from the Franciscan Monastery in the old city of Jerusalem to Martindale 33. 2005]

Also see: Medieval Pharmacotherapy Continuity and Change Case Studies from Ibn Sına and some of his Late Medieval Commentators [2009 – Full Book 815 pages]

“The most promising plant and herbal products [for inflammatory bowel disease] were tormentil extracts, wormwoodherb, Aloe vera, germinated barley foodstuff, curcumin, Boswellia serrata, Panax notoginseng, Ixeris dentata, green tea, Cordia dichotoma, Plantago lanceolata, Iridoidglycosides, and mastic gum. ” [2016]

The most important clinical trials conducted [ in inflammatory bowel disease] so far refer to the use of mastic gum, tormentil extracts, wormwood herb, aloe vera, triticum aestivum, germinated barley foodstuff, and boswellia serrata. …boswellia serrata gum resin and plantago ovata seeds were as effective as mesalazine, ” [2015]
“Taken together, allergic reactions to Christmas tree, poinsettia, Christmas cactus, perfumed candles, Christmas typical food, common gifts like mobile phones and laptops, frankincense, myrrh and pollens have been described but in very rare instances. ” [Christmas from an allergist’s perspective 2016].

The “tear form” which is chewed like gum (unlike powder in capsules) and then swallowed have several advantages:

Reduce bacteria in the mouth (a likely reserve of bacteria that may repopulate the gut) and greatly improve mouth health!
Allows the active compounds to enter the body via the sublingual route
Impacts the entire digestive system.

The first question many people may have is “Where do I get these tears?”. I recently discovered an Online shop in Greece that sells all of these tears: YouHerbIt.

Suggested use: Use one for a week and then rotate to the next.

Mastic Gum

Review: Chios mastic gum: a plant-produced resin exhibiting numerous diverse pharmaceutical and biomedical properties.[2012]
- “eradication of bacteria and fungi that may cause peptic ulcers, tooth plaque formation and malodor of the mouth and saliva; (b) amelioration or dramatic reduction of symptoms of autoimmune diseases by inhibiting production of pro-inflammatory substances by activated macrophages, production of cytokines by peripheral blood mononuclear cells in patients with active Crohn’s disease, and suppression of production of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines in an asthma model in mice; “
- Anti-inflammatory activity of Chios mastic gum is associated with inhibition of TNF-alpha induced oxidative stress.[2011]
- Antiinflammatory and antioxidant activities of gum mastic [2010].
Antimicrobial Effects of Mastic Extract Against Oral and Periodontal Pathogens[2017].
- Mastic extract led to significantly (P ≤0.016) increased inhibition of the tested periodontal pathogens((Porphyromonas gingivalis, Streptococcus oralis, Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Prevotella intermedia, and Prevotella nigrescens) ) compared with H₂O_{2(Hydrogen Peroxide)}. No effect of mastic extract was observed on Streptococcus mutans”.
- “Three weeks use of all mastic gums resulted in a significant drop in the number of Mutans streptococci in the saliva. ” [2014]
- “Ethyl acetate I. viscosa extract and total mastic extract showed considerable antimicrobial activity against oral microorganisms(Porphyromonas gingivalis, Prevotella intermedia, Fusobacterium nucleatum, and Parvimonas micra). and could therefore be considered as alternative natural anti-infectious agents.” {2014]
Chemical Composition of the Essential Oil of Mastic Gum and their Antibacterial Activity Against Drug-Resistant Helicobacter pylori. [2014]
Effects of Chios mastic gum on cholesterol and glucose levels of healthy volunteers: A prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled, pilot study (CHIOS-MASTIHA) [2016].
- ” has a significant lowering effect on total cholesterol and glucose levels of healthy volunteers, with excellent tolerance and no detectable side effects, especially in overweight and obese individuals.”

Boswellia Serrata/Frankincense gum resin [Commiphora…]

“The gum resin of Boswellia serrata (BS), a traditional treatment of Ayurvedic medicine in India also identified as Indian frankincense, Salai Guggal, or Indian olibanum, has been used for centuries as a remedy for many health problems [1996].”

Boswellic Acid Improves Cognitive Function in a Rat Model Through Its Antioxidant Activity: – Neuroprotective effect of Boswellic acid [2017].
“Our results suggest that frankincense should be further investigated for its promising potentiality to modulate not only inflammation/oxidative stress but also immune dysregulation, but attention should be paid to the composition of the commercial extracts.” [2017]
” For Crohn’s disease, the supplements for which clear benefits occurred in at least 2 studies were allopurinol, Boswellia serrata (frankincense or shallaki), Artemesia species (wormwood), Tripterygium wilfordii (léi gōng téng), and omega-3 fatty acids. ” [2017]