Survey of wildflowers in the Nepal Himalayas (1). Exploration of Himalayan medicinal herbs in Gokyo on Everest road

Following a survey carried out during summer 1999, medicinal and aromatic plants (in addition to the 65 species reported in an article by T. Wantanabe, Z. K. Shinwari, K. Malla and B. K. Basnet in Foods & Ingredients Journal (2000) 184 , 40-56), used by the Himalayan people of Nepal in the Namche area from Lukla to Gokyo (2840-5000 m asl) of the Sagarmatha National Park, are listed and described. The floristic composition of the Nepal Himalayas is described and emphasis is placed on the remarkable plant diversity observed in the area. The cultural relationship between the Himalayan people and the utilization of natural resources is discussed. Several plants, collected from the wild and also cultivated in the area, are listed with local name, name of extracted essential oil, price of essential oil (in US dollars) and present state of processing/uses in Nepal.