1. What was ketchup used for medically?
2. Did you know ketchup was once sold as a medicine?
3. How long was ketchup a medicine?

What was ketchup used for medically?

In 1834, ketchup was sold as a cure for indigestion by an Ohio physician named John Cook. Tomato ketchup was popularized as a condiment commercially in the late 1800’s and today Americans purchases 10 billion ounces of ketchup annually.

Did you know ketchup was once sold as a medicine?

In the 1830s, tomato ketchup was sold as a medicine, claiming to cure ailments like diarrhea, indigestion, and jaundice. The idea was proposed by Dr John Cook Bennett, who later sold the recipe in form of ‘tomato pills’.

How long was ketchup a medicine?

Ketchup: the surprising “medical marvel” of the 1800s That was until 1834 when Dr. John Cooke Bennett added tomatoes to ketchup and seemingly transformed the condiment into the hottest drug of the 1800s (think along the lines of today’s Pfizer vaccine — yes, ketchup was that popular as medication).