In the 1830s, Americans bought tomato ketchup as medicine after a physician claimed tomatoes could treat indigestion and diarrhoea; pills made from tomato extract were sold across the country before the craze collapsed.

NewsScience NewsIn the 1830s, Americans bought tomato ketchup as medicine after a physician claimed tomatoes could treat indigestion and diarrhoea; pills made from tomato extract were sold across the country before the craze collapsed.

In the 1830s, Americans bought tomato ketchup as medicine after a physician claimed tomatoes could treat indigestion and diarrhoea; pills made from tomato extract were sold across the country before the craze collapsed. TOI Lifestyle Desk / TIMESOFINDIA.COM / Nov 08, 2026, 13:55 IST Let's be honest, everyone knows someone who puts ketchup on absolutely everything.

Pastas, pizzas and whatnot. We have all thought that those people need some medicine. Well, what if I told you that, in the 1830s, tomatoes were actually being promoted as medicine, and people were even encouraged to consume them in the form of ketchup?Believe it or not, there was a time when tomatoes were not just any other ingredient in your kitchen but were being promoted as a remedy for several health problems.

In the 1830s, an American physician made some rather extraordinary claims about the humble tomato, suggesting that it could help treat digestive problems like indigestion and even diarrhoea. What followed was an unusual medical craze, with tomato extracts being turned into pills and sold to people across the country.

An ordinary vegetable had suddenly become a supposed miracle remedy, and before long, competing manufacturers were making a business out of it.But how did a simple tomato become America's latest medical obsession?When doctors started prescribing tomatoes instead of medicine ">Dr John Cook Bennett, physician and promoter of the tomato.

(courtesy Wikimedia Commons)​ It all began with one physician who maybe liked the ketchup on his pizza a little too much. Jokes aside, Dr John Cook Bennett believed that tomatoes had medicinal properties and could help treat several digestive problems.Bennett was not simply suggesting people eat more vegetables.

He believed that tomatoes had incredible medicinal properties. At a time when medical knowledge was still developing and many common illnesses had limited treatment options, such claims attracted considerable attention. He recommended consuming tomatoes in different forms, whether raw, cooked or as catsup, which we now commonly call ketchup.

His claims soon began circulating beyond medical discussions, and people started looking at the humble tomato as something more than just another ingredient in their kitchens.But the real turning point came when entrepreneurs saw an opportunity in Bennett's claims.

Rather than asking people to eat more tomatoes, they began selling something that looked much closer to conventional medicine: pills made from tomato extracts.How tomato pills became America's latest medical craze ">An advertisement for Dr.

Phelps’ Tomato Pills, from the Burlington Free Press, November 23, 1838. (Courtesy- Library of Congress)​ The TOI Lifestyle Desk is a dynamic team of dedicated journalists who, with unwavering passion and commitment, sift through the pulse of the nation to curate a vibrant tapestry of lifestyle news for The Times of India readers.

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