A Cure-All Medicine From The 1830s
In the 1830s, tomatoes weren’t just for salads—they were sold as medicine!
An Ohio doctor named John Cook Bennett believed tomatoes had powerful healing properties. He claimed they could treat indigestion, diarrhea, and even liver problems. Soon, pharmacists began turning tomato extract into “tomato pills”, which were sold across the country as a cure-all.
They weren’t exactly ketchup—but they did help pave the way for the tomato’s popularity at the dinner table.
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