Of the adverse side, we are perplexed in front of so much doggedness. For example, American Botanical Council blames the FDA for having missed nuance in his approach of the problem. The officinal consoude indeed has two colleagues, is the bristly consoude (Symphytum asperum) and the consoude of Russia (Symphytum uplandicum) the content of which it pirrozilidines is more raised. These last ones contain of the echiminide, the most toxic of these alcaloïdes, while the officinal consoude is deprived.

Besides, certain manufacturers launch on the market extracts of consoude without alcaloïdes. Other important nuances: the root of consoude contains 10 times more of alcaloïdes that sheets and the content of sheets dried in maturity is much more low(weak) than that of the young fresh sheets. Anyway, according to the defenders of the officinal consoude, it would be necessary to swallow it industrial quantities before noticing some toxicity.

Some of seven cases of harmfullness told in the scientific documentation were moreover connected with an excessive and prolonged consumption of a variety not specified by consoude. On the other hand, a clinical study concerning 29 subjects demonstrated that the long-term consumption (from 1 to 20 years) of consoude did not cause hepatic damages.

Not easy to cut, but the FDA supports that in the absence of data allowing to establish, if he exists there, a security daily dose, it is absolutely necessary to protect the consumers, a position was moreover defended by the American Herbal Product Association since 1993. Especially since certain manufacturers, for lack of an adequate control, could not use the "maid" variety of consoude.

Note that most of the reliable references on healing plants recommend to use the consoude only in a topique way and short-term (no more than four or six weeks a year) and some people clarify not to use him on an open wound. Besides, the virtues of the plant taken orally are informed much less well than its healing effects and anti-inflamatoires.

To finish, the regulations vary from a country to the other one. For example, in Canada, the products on open sale which contain of the consoude have to have a DIN (Drug Identification Number) in due form, what means that Health Canada approved the marketing (and not the efficiency) in the Data base on products pharmaceutiques1 of the ministry, those who contain of the consoude are mainly homoeopathic remedies and ointments.

The consoude is prohibited in Australia and Great Britain restricts the use of the root in Brazil, only products for external custom are enabled.