Introduction: The gradual entry of phytoterapeutic products has led to a rapid growth of this industry in Colombia. These types of products are commonly found for sale in health food stores and not in pharmacies due to legal requirements. An example of this, is the dispensing of vegetable materials with known adverse effects by personnel without specialized technical training. There are no current studies in Colombia about the handling and dispensing of phytoterapeutic products and the potential impact on public health.Methodology: An observational and descriptive cross-sectional study in dispensing was done in 2017 in all the health food stores that sell phytoterapeutic products in the municipality of Chiquinquirá-Boyacá. The research involved related requirements in accordance with Resolution 126 of 2009.Results: From the 16 health food stores included in this research 50% complied with all the variables related to legal documentation; while in the areas of storage and technical product reception 87.5% and 93.8% complied, respectively. The average age and experience of the 16 people responsible for dispensing the products was 38.69 years old and 8.8 years, and 75% of them had specific training in phytoterapeutic products. Dosing and contraindications from 71 phytoterapeutic products showed lack of compliance with 43.7% and 19.7%, respectively.Discussion: It is clear that there are no studies that verify compliance of health food stores with current legal regulations and the locative components. It is suggested to evaluate if the type of training in the management of phytoterapeutic products for the responsible personnel is adequate given the non- association between training and factors such as dosing, condition of sale, indications and contraindications.
