Tomato
PH
PureHealthness Editorial Team · Health writers & reviewers
📝 Last reviewed: August 2026
✔ Transparent sourcing · Some articles are AI-drafted, then reviewed & fact-checked by our team
📝 Last reviewed: August 2026
The tomato is the most popular garden crop in the world. Juicy, sweet and acidic all at once, it is technically a fruit but cooked like a vegetable in sauces, salads and curries.
🔬 Plant facts
| Scientific name | Solanum lycopersicum |
|---|---|
| Type | Fruiting vegetable |
| Family | Solanaceae |
| Sunlight | Full sun |
| Water | Regular deep watering |
| Height | 0.5–2 m (vine or bush) |
| Flower | Yellow star flowers → red fruit |
| Uses | Cooking, salads, sauces |
| Growth | Fast-growing, 60–90 days |
| Best season | Warm season |
💊 Tomato in the medicine industry
Tomatoes are rich in lycopene, a potent antioxidant studied for heart and prostate health; tomato extracts are used in supplements and skincare.
🌱 Growing & care tips
Tomatoes need full sun, support (stakes or cages) and steady watering — irregular water causes cracked fruit. Pinch suckers on vines to concentrate growth.
🍽️ How to use it
Tomatoes are eaten raw in salads, cooked into sauces, soups and curries, sun-dried, and canned for winter; they are the base of ketchup.
💡 Did you know? The tomato was once called the 'poison apple' in Europe because wealthy diners got sick — they ate them from pewter plates, and the acid leached lead from the metal.
⚠️ Tomato safety note: The green parts of tomato plants (leaves, stems, unripe fruit) contain solanine and can upset the stomach if eaten in quantity — the ripe fruit is perfectly safe.
⚠️ Important: Herbal and plant remedies can interact with medicines. Always ask a doctor or pharmacist before using any plant product for health purposes — especially if you are pregnant, breastfeeding or taking prescription drugs.
← All plants · 🥗 Nutrition hub
More plants in the library
- Potato (Solanaceae)
- Bell Pepper (Solanaceae)
- Chili (Solanaceae)
- Ashwagandha (Solanaceae)
- Eggplant (Solanaceae)
- Sunflower (Asteraceae)
- Rose (Rosaceae)
- Tulip (Liliaceae)
- Lavender (Lamiaceae)
- Aloe Vera (Asphodelaceae)
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