It is the fact that human civilization has been deeply linked with the plants especially with the forest [1,2]. Our ancestor used the plants for food which we have been using now; they used the pants for medicinal purpose that we have been continued [3,4]. So, the medicinal and aromatic plants are very valuable. It is believed that herbs have been used for medicinal purpose before 2800 to 1700BC in China [5]. Now, there has been increasing scope of medicinal herbs all over the world. The modern society is more incline towards the English medicine but the number of users of medicinal herbs has already been increasing [6,7]. Medicinal herbs are the Non-wood forest products consist of goods of biological origin other than wood, derived from forests, other wooded land and trees outside forests [8].

Updated research showed that, total 391,000 plant species were documented and out of this total 369,000 plant species (94%) are flowering plants and rests of them were other categories. Importantly, world health organization reported that over 50,000 plants are useful for the medicinal purpose [9]. Some research showed that around 2500 plants species have been used for the medicinal purpose in India but the research is still continued [10]. There are more than 38000 plants species in Asia which have medicinal value [11]. Altogether, 302 plants species were used for medicinal purpose in Sri Lanka by the local indigenous people and they exported to other countries as well [12]. Indigenous people in India have been using over 20,000 plants species for medicinal purpose [13]. Around 8300 plants have been used for medicinal purpose and out of this, 400 plants species are used to produce medicinal drug in pharmaceutical industries in Nepal [13].

The importance of medicinal herbs has been increasing annually. Europe alone annually imports about US$ 1 billion in MAPs from Africa and Asia [14]. It was imported around 673,564 tones in European countries such as German, Switzerland and France in 2014 which worth around US$ 2,724 [15]. Over 500 households were professionally engaged in the business of medicinal and aromatic plants at Swat in Pakistan [16] and they have been generating income. The projection showed that the increasing attraction towards use of medicinal herbs, its demand may worth over US $5 trillion by 2050 [17]. The trade of medicinal herbs was high in India, it worth about US$ 1 billion annually but it depends up on the quantity demand and export as well [18]. In addition, most of raw medicinal plants exported to India and China from Nepal and most of these are endemic from China, India and Nepal [19,20].

Nepal is very rich in biodiversity. There are over 9000 flowering species. Out of this, over 6500 plant species are uses for medicinal purpose [21]. Plant species find in high altitude have high value medicinal use [22]. Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (MAPs) are key source of income generation for livelihood subsistence and promotion. Thousands of households have been engaged to collect and trade the medicinal herbs in Hindkush Region of Himalayas [23,24]. Over 10,167 plant species are recognized in Himalaya in Nepal and around 7,000 species are flowering. Among these approximately 1,600 species are useful for medicine and aroma in Nepal. Some Ophiocordyceps sinensis, Allium wallichii, Paris polyphylla, etc. are highly valuable species in Himalayan region especially in Darchula district in Nepal. So, the collection, packaging, processing and exporting of these plant are creating enormous opportunity of employment and income generation including revenue collection. The medicinal herbs in Himalayan region are not only source of income for livelihood of the local people but also revenue collection for nation. However, the research regarding quantity of collection of medicinal herbs and revenue generation and employment creation from this sector are very limited so far in high Himalayan districts like Darchula Nepal in particular. Realizing the gap, this research was objectively conducted to assess the export quantity of medicinal herbs, revenue generation and employment generation from in Darchula district, Nepal.