Which diseases were falsely claimed to be cured by historical nostrums?

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quackery *The Sailor and the Quack Doctor!!*, colour etching by George Moutard Woodward.

Historical nostrums were frequently marketed with false or exaggerated claims to cure a wide range of serious and chronic conditions. These fraudulent products often targeted diseases for which effective medical treatments were historically unavailable or those that caused significant public fear.

Conditions falsely claimed to be cured by such nostrums included:

Serious and life-threatening diseases: Tuberculosis, syphilis, and cancer.1
Chronic and recurring disorders: Rheumatic disorders, kidney diseases, and various digestive and gynecological ailments.1

Purveyors of these nostrums often exploited public interest in scientific discoveries—such as electricity or radium—to lend false credibility to their products. While some nostrums contained potent substances like opium or alcohol, others were entirely ineffective, consisting of little more than bitter herbs, salt, or sulfur. It is a fundamental ethical principle that medical claims must be grounded in rigorous scientific evidence; the promotion of unproven "cures" for financial gain is a deceptive practice that endangers public health.1