RESEARCH MATERIAL H. BIRKUMAR SINGH, P. PRASAD, L. K. RAI G. B. Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development Sikkim, India Folk Medicinal Plants in the Sikkim Himalayas of India Abstract This report deals with 64 species of plants belonging to 42 families and 57 genera. The plants discussed are all used as medicine among ethnic groups in Sikkim. Important ail- ments purportedly cured by these plants are epilepsy, leprosy, paralysis, asthma, typhoid, diabetes, hemorrhages during childbirth, cholera, as well as others. Some of these plants are also used as food items and play a significant role in the rural economy. A few of these medicinal plants are believed among ethnic people to prolong life and are part of local tradition. Though allopathic medicines are in vogue, herbal medicinal practition- ers do a brisk business. The herbals in the region are in danger of economic exploitation by the rural folk as well as commercial collectors. In order to conserve these important resources, management options, including the cultivating of medicinal plants, should be explored. Keywords: Folk medicine—Sikkim—over exploitation Asian Folklore Studies, Volume 61, 2002: 295–310