nostrum

na strəm

noun

1. a medicine with undisclosed ingredients, advertised without proof as an effective cure; quack remedy.
example: William Radam’s “Microbe Killer,” a nostrum sold in the 1890s, made the claim “Cures all Diseases.”
2. a favorite but unproven scheme or theory, offered as a remedy for social or political problems; panacea.
example: Conservatives regard the idea that government can solve social problems as a liberal nostrum.