Ketchup Was Sold as Medicine in the 1830s

Before it was a staple for fries and burgers, the tomato was a source of deep suspicion in the United States. Many people believed the fruit (Review), nicknamed the "poison apple," was toxic due to its relation to the deadly nightshade family. It was in this climate of fear and fascination that an Ohio physician, Dr. John Cook Bennett, began promoting the health virtues of tomatoes in the 1830s. He developed a concentrated form of tomato ketchup, claiming its properties could successfully treat common and serious ailments of the era, including diarrhea, indigestion, and even jaundice.

Bennett's claims led to the creation and sale of "ketchup pills," which were marketed as a patent medicine and a convenient way to consume the tomato's supposed benefits. For a brief period, the idea became a national craze. Other entrepreneurs quickly created their own copycat versions, flooding the market with tomato-based pills and extracts. The fad, however, was short-lived.

The market became saturated with counterfeit products that often contained no tomato at all and made increasingly outlandish claims. As these fraudulent pills were exposed, the public's trust in tomato-based medicine collapsed. By the end of the decade, the ketchup pill craze had faded into history, and the condiment was firmly on its way to becoming a food item rather than a pharmaceutical one.