1
: a medicine of secret composition recommended by its preparer but usually without scientific proof of its effectiveness
… is put to work at county fairs, promoting a quack nostrum for pain relief.—
Patrick McGrath
2
: a usually questionable remedy or scheme : panacea
an audience eager to believe he had found the nostrum for all of society's ills—
Warren Sloat
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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