Gum arabic is a natural gum that is harvested commercially from wild trees, mostly in Sudan and throughout the Sahel, from Senegal to Somalia. It is a complex mixture of glycoproteins and polysaccharides, predominantly polymers of arabinose and galactose, and is soluble in water and edible. Gum arabic is used primarily in the food industry and soft-drink industry as a stabilizer, with E number E414 (I414 in the US) . It is also used in traditional lithography and is used in printing, paints, glues, cosmetics, and various industrial applications, including viscosity control in inks and in textile industries. Gum arabic is a complex polysaccharide and soluble dietary fiber that is generally recognized as safe for human consumption. It is sometimes used in dried, powdered supplement form to help treat conditions like high cholesterol, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), constipation, and to potentially help promote weight loss. Gum arabic is believed to have been harvested in Arabia, Sudan, and West Asia for hundreds (if not thousands) of years.