Mastic Gum 1000mg | 60 Capsules | Jarrow Formulas

Mastic Gum by Jarrow Formulas

Are you familiar with mastic? It is the resin of the mastic tree, a shrub-like tree that grows mainly in Greece and Turkey. This mastic gum from Jarrow Formulas contains the resin in powder form in a plant-based capsule. Two capsules together provide 1000mg of mastic resin. One bottle contains 60 capsules, enough for one month if you stick to the daily dose of two capsules.

What mastic resin actually is

The mastic tree is officially called Pistacia lentiscus. It is related to the pistachio tree, although no nuts grow on it. Growers cut into the bark, after which the tree produces a sticky sap. That sap dries in the sun into transparent, light yellow drops. Those are the 'tears' of mastic, as the Greeks call them. Those resin drops consist of a mixture of resin acids and a small amount of essential oil. That oil gives mastic its fresh, slightly pine-like scent. Traditionally, people chewed the resin as a kind of natural chewing gum. That is where the English name mastic gum also comes from: gum simply means resin or chewing gum here.

From Greek island to capsule

What many people do not know: mastic has a long culinary history. In Greece and the Middle East, bakers have been using it for centuries in bread, ice cream, sweet treats, and liqueur. The best-known growing area is the Greek island of Chios, where mastic even has a protected designation of origin. For a capsule, the manufacturer grinds the dried resin into a fine powder. This way you get a fixed amount per day, without having to chew on a resin drop. Jarrow Formulas states 1000mg of mastic resin per serving of two capsules on the label. That is 500mg per capsule. By the way, harvesting mastic is still largely done by hand. In the summer, growers make small cuts in the trunk. The sap drips onto a layer of clean sand or clay under the tree and hardens there in a few weeks. After that, they pick up the drops, rinse them, and sort them by size and color. A single tree only produces a few hundred grams of resin per season. That explains why mastic is relatively scarce and why you often see it in small jars in Greek shops.

What you will find in this bottle

The composition is short. In addition to the mastic resin, the capsule contains microcrystalline cellulose as a filler, plant-based magnesium stearate, and silicon dioxide, two excipients that ensure the powder flows smoothly in the capsule. The capsule itself is made of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, a plant-based material. Therefore, this mastic gum is vegan. According to the label, it contains no wheat, gluten, soy, dairy, egg, fish, shellfish, peanuts, nuts, or sesame. Many people wonder when is the best time to take mastic. The manufacturer recommends two capsules once a day, with a glass of water or juice, before breakfast.

In short: this is a simple mastic resin supplement with a clear dosage per capsule and few excipients. For those who are curious about this Greek resin and want a fixed daily amount, mastic gum from Jarrow Formulas is a straightforward choice. The bottle with 60 capsules comes from an American brand that has been making supplements since 1977.