Illustration of pink scotch thistle flowers on a white background with black text underneath
AMERICAN PEPSIN GUM CO. BUTTONS MADE BY WHITEHEAD & HOAG CO NEWARK, N.J.
This button was a give-away button from American Pepsin Gum Company and was part of a collectible set. Early in the 20th century, New Jersey based American Pepsin Gum Company, a gum and candy business, distributed these pinback style buttons in their products to advertise.
Many gum manufactures in the late 1800's used pepsin powder in their chewing gum and marketed it as a way to aid in digestion. Pepsin was thought to settle stomach issues and help people with digestive concerns.
Scotch Thistle was once used as a treatment for cardiac stimulation, though never approved by the FDA. Some heart medicines still use scotch thistle as a primary ingredient and it is also used to lessen mucous in nasal membranes.