Latex Pillow

A latex pillow may sound like a strange bedfellow, but the reality is that latex makes for a very comfortable pillow stuffing. Latex is actually a plant secretion, and is a defensive mechanism found in about one in ten flowering plants. Latex is actually a highly irritating substance to many animals, including some humans.

The primary purpose of latex in nature is to seal off wounds and act as a detriment to herbivore consumption. For small animals, such as insects, the latex can entrap and harden around a careless individual. Man made uses for the compound include an elastic additive for condoms and chewing gum; as well as a resilient stuffing for a latex pillow or mattress.

Extracting latex from plants is an involved process and as such, synthetically created alternatives have been devised. These have broadened the available supply to allow for more substantive uses. Prior to an economically viable synthetic process, large scale applications such as a latex pillow or mattress were not cost effective.