What is actually in a placebo pill i.e. "dummy pill" used in medical research? Is it always simply sugar?

Yes, and no--they are usually called "sugar pills" because they are made from things like sugar. Usually it is something like lactose, salep (a product from a root), starches, maltodextrin...





However, here is a little blurb about a conspiracy theory about placebo's:





"The fact is, drug companies make their own placebo pills for research purposes, and for each individual study they create a unique placebo formula - sometimes including ingredients that match ingredients in the drugs being tested. But the contents of placebos are never revealed.


Does that sound “inert” or “inactive” to you? Suddenly the idea of a “sugar pill” doesn’t seem so innocent anymore."





http://www.thehealthierlife.co.uk/articl...





Here is another interesting definition of a placebo:


"A typical placebo might be a pill containing only sugar or bread or an injection containing only salt and water, and a placebo "sham" operation was one in which the patient was cut open and then sewn right back up."





http://www3.georgetown.edu/research/nrcb...





Lastly, placebo pills can take on the form of many different forms--typically they try and make the placebo look like the real pill, but it contains no active ingredients in it...

What is actually in a placebo pill i.e. "dummy pill" used in medical research? Is it always simply sugar?
Basically it is.