Studying the Spicery Situation in West Azerbaijan Cities with Emphasis on the Problems and Challenges Ahead

Studying the Spicery Situation in West Azerbaijan Cities with Emphasis on the Problems and Challenges Ahead Masoomeh Amerian 1*, Afsaneh Malekhoseini 2, Shahriban Sore 3 1Assistant Professor, Department of Production Engineering and Plant Genetics, Faculty of Science and Agriculture Engineering, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran 2Ph.D. in Agricultural Development, Department of Agricultural Extension and Education, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran 3Undergraduate Student of Medicinal Plants, Department of Production Engineering and Plant Genetics, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran Abstract Introduction: The use of medicinal plants in treatment has a long history, and now medicinal plants are of great importance. However, no study has been done on the problems of groceries. Due to the widespread activity of groceries to apply medicinal plants for treating health problems, this study aimed to investigate the problems with groceries in cities of West Azarbaijan province. Methods: This is quantitative research in terms of nature, applied in terms of purpose, and descriptive-survey research in terms of the data collection method. The statistical population of the study consisted of 20 groceries in the cities of West Azerbaijan province. The data were collected in a questionnaire. The validity of the questionnaire was determined by content validity and its reliability by Cronbach’s alpha. SPSS software version 11.5 was used for data analysis. Results: The presence of some dangerous drugs in groceries (mean: 4.78 and standard deviation: 0.53), provision of fake samples in groceries (mean: 4.57 and standard deviation: 0.96), and not checking handmade medicines in groceries (mean: 4.31 and standard deviation: 0.88) ranked the first to third problems and challenges according to the view of groceries in West Azarbaijan province. Conclusion: The main problem of groceries is the lack of observance of professional ethics, which is the biggest problem affecting the health of the consumer and job security of groceries in the long run. Keywords: Medicinal Plants; Groceries; Health; Traditional Medicine; Treatment Please cite this article as follows: Amerian M, Malekhoseini A, Sore S. Studying the spicery situation in West Azerbaijan cities with emphasis on the problems and challenges ahead. Hakim Health Sys Res. 2020; 22(4): 363-370.   *Corresponding Author: Assistant Professor, Department of Production Engineering and Plant Genetics, Faculty of Science and Agriculture Engineering, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran. Tel: +98-9183377466, Email: [email protected]