Placebos

[Sonia]

[A pill] that makes you think that youre getting better.

See [Sugar] [Pill]

[Tanya Shivari]

Placebos are substances that are made to resemble drugs but do not contain an active drug.
(See also Overview of Drugs.)
A placebo is made to look exactly like a real drug but is made of an inactive substance, such as a starch or sugar. Placebos are now used only in research studies (see The Science of Medicine).
Despite there being no active ingredients, some people who take a placebo feel better. Some others develop

[Jessica]

a substance given to someone who is told that it is a particular medicine, either to make that person feel as if they are getting better or to compare the effect of the particular medicine when given to others: