- Acacia trees are thorny and shrublike and closely related to beans. Today they can be found in what Mountain Rose Herbs' website calls the gum belt of Africa: a string of countries stretching from Senegal on the Atlantic Ocean to Sudan and Chad in the east. Most of the gum arabic comes from trees in Sudan and Chad; these two countries account for 85 percent of the world's production. The number of trees in Sudan has fallen over the past few years, so in 2011 prices have risen to reflect the lower supply.
- Gum arabic is composed of acidic polysaccharides, or sugars, and calcium. It must be hand picked, and harvest time depends solely on whether or not the tree is in distress. Farm workers pick out chunks of the gum, avoiding the sharp thorns. The raw gum is collected, and Sudan exports it to Europe for processing. From Europe it is shipped to customers around the world for its many uses.
- Because of how watercolor paints are made, most art suppliers sell gum arabic as dry crystals. It resembles sugar in that it is hard and transparent, but it dissolves in water more slowly than sugar. Wet gum arabic is sticky. It allows watercolor paint to stay wet longer, thus providing the artist more time to work it. Wet gum arabic also provides transparency to a watercolor and increases its gloss.
- For painters, gum arabic has been used as a binding medium for watercolors for at least 200 years. According to NPR, it has been used since biblical times to maintain the integrity of paint. Gum arabic is a natural emulsifier -- a substance that holds different materials, usually liquids, together. Drug companies use it to keep different components of their medicines together. Soft drink companies use it to keep the sugar from sinking to the bottom of a bottle or can. A small amount of gum arabic placed in newspaper ink holds it together and makes it permanent. As a medicine it has been used for diarrhea, constipation, sore throats and other conditions.
Acacia Tree
Gum Arabic
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