Inhibitors of medicinal plants products distribution businesses in Golestan province

The vital role of medicinal plants in creating employment is inevitable, and Golestan province is one of the important poles of medicinal plants production in the country due to its climatic diversity, and a large number of populations involved in the medicinal plants businesses. This study was conducted to identify the barriers to the development of distribution businesses of medicinal plants products in Golestan province. A descriptive survey was used for this purpose. The statistical community of the study consisted of 150 business owners in Golestan province, 109 of whom were selected by simple random sampling. Data were collected through a questionnaire, the validity of which was confirmed by a panel of experts. The reliability of the study was assessed through Cronbach’s-Alpha coefficient which was 0.88. Data were analyzed using SPSS statistical software. The results revealed that lack of proper government support for practitioners and activists in the medicinal plants businesses, non-acceptance of medicinal plants by doctors, increased cost of medical plants production, the high price of herbal medicines and consequently low public interest in their consumption and development of new medical treatments with new drugs and neglect of the importance of medicinal plants are the most important inhibitors of medicinal plants businesses. The factor analysis categorized the inhibitory variables of medicinal plants businesses into eight factors including skill and technical, cultural, qualitative and standard, communicational-knowledge, sovereignty and legal, institutional, social, and economic factors. The recommendations of this study included the need for proper government support for practitioners and activists in the medicinal plants businesses, providing the right background for acceptance of medicinal plants by doctors, strengthening and developing the market for medicinal plants and establishing a bridge between the market for the production and sale of medicinal plants