FAQ & Transparency

Mycebo is an open-label placebo — a ritual practice product that is openly sold as a placebo. We make no secret of it. You name your bottle for whatever you want it to be for, and we build you a custom label, a personal ritual site, and a daily practice around that intention.

The capsule is inert. The ritual, the intention, and the daily practice are the product.

Mycebo capsules are sold as a dietary supplement under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA). The capsule contains microcrystalline cellulose (MCC), a plant-derived excipient recognized as Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) by the FDA. Mycebo makes no health claim.

No. Mycebo makes no structure/function claims and no disease claims. We do not claim that our products improve, support, or affect any aspect of physical or mental health. The FDA's standard DSHEA disclaimer applies: these statements have not been evaluated by the FDA; this product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Mycebo is not for anyone seeking a medical treatment or health supplement. If you have a medical condition, please work with a qualified healthcare provider. Mycebo is not a substitute for medical care, therapy, medication, or any clinical intervention. Mycebo is designed for adults 18 and older who want to explore intentional ritual practice as a personal and mindfulness tool.

Ingredient: Microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) — pharmaceutical-grade, plant-derived, tasteless, completely inert. It is the same filler used in the vast majority of tablets and capsules on the market.

Shell: HPMC (hydroxypropyl methylcellulose) — vegan, halal, and kosher. Contains no gelatin.

No active pharmaceutical ingredients. No vitamins. No minerals. No herbs.

Mycebo uses food-safe, well-characterized ingredients with long safety records. MCC is one of the most widely used excipients in medicine and food. As with any ingestible product, if you have allergies, sensitivities, or are pregnant or nursing, please consult a healthcare provider before use.

Yes. The HPMC capsule shell is plant-derived. MCC is plant-derived. No animal products are used.

Open-label placebo (OLP) research demonstrates that placebos can produce measurable effects even when participants know they are receiving an inert substance. Studies at Harvard Medical School (Kaptchuk et al.), University of Hamburg, and other institutions have shown statistically significant OLP effects in studies of chronic pain, IBS, cancer fatigue, and other outcomes.

Researchers have proposed several mechanisms for OLP effects in clinical populations, including: the ritual of taking a pill, the expectation of benefit set by the framing and intention, the consistency of daily practice, and the Pavlovian conditioning that comes from repeated ritual behavior.

Mycebo does not claim our products replicate any clinical outcome. We cite OLP research only to contextualize the broader category of intentional ritual practice — not to make health claims about our specific product.

Yes. A selection of published research:

• Kaptchuk TJ et al. (2010). "Placebos without deception: a randomized controlled trial in irritable bowel syndrome." PLOS ONE.
• Charlesworth JEG et al. (2017). "Effects of placebos without deception compared with no treatment: A systematic review and meta-analysis." Journal of Evidence-Based Medicine.
• Kleine-Borgmann J et al. (2019). "Effects of open-label placebo on pain, functional disability, and spine mobility in patients with chronic back pain." Pain.

These citations are for informational context only. Mycebo makes no claim that our products replicate the outcomes of clinical research.

Research has found that price can influence placebo response — not because buyers are deceived, but because perceived value shapes expectation.

After you name your bottle, we generate a custom ritual site at takemycebo.com/u/you/your-bottle — with a daily practice, reflection prompts, and label copy tailored to your intention. You pick your bottle size at checkout. Your physical bottle with a custom-printed label then ships to your door.

Authentication is handled by Clerk. Your bottle intention, base choice, and order information are stored in our database and used only to fulfill your order and personalize your ritual site. We do not sell your data to third parties. See our privacy policy for the full picture — we collect only what's necessary to build and ship your order.

Payment is processed by Stripe. Mycebo never sees or stores your full card number. Stripe is PCI DSS compliant. All payment communication is encrypted.