alterative vs nostrum

alterative

noun
  • A medicine or treatment which works by changing processes within the body, rather than by evacuating something etc. 

adj
  • Gradually changing, or tending to change, a morbid state into a healthy one. 

  • Causing alteration. 

nostrum

noun
  • A medicine or remedy in conventional use which has not been proven to have any desirable medical effects. 

  • An ineffective but favorite remedy for a problem, usually involving political action. 

How often have the words alterative and nostrum occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )