Ketchup Was Once Medicine

Long before it was a staple for French fries, the tomato was hailed as a medical marvel. In the 1830s, an Ohio physician named Dr. John Cook Bennett began championing the health benefits of the then-exotic fruit (Review), which many Americans still viewed with suspicion as a poisonous nightshade. He concentrated its essence into pill form, marketing 'Dr. Miles' Compound Extract of Tomato' as a powerful remedy for ailments ranging from diarrhea and indigestion to jaundice and liver problems. He was essentially creating one of America's first superfood fads.

The concept exploded in popularity during the height of the patent medicine era, a time of unregulated "cure-alls." As demand surged, numerous copycats flooded the market with their own tomato pills. Unfortunately, many of these imitations were fraudulent, containing no tomato at all and instead being packed with laxatives and other undisclosed ingredients. The widespread scams eventually discredited the entire enterprise, and by the 1850s, the tomato-as-medicine craze had completely collapsed. The tomato's short-lived medical career was over, but its journey as a world-famous condiment, with the addition of vinegar and sugar, was just beginning.