10.22376/ijpbs.2019.10.1.p1-12 Volume 6 Issue 3 2015 (July - September) Medicinal plants contain a lot of bioactive compounds having various activities against human diseases. Based on traditional knowledge 62 plants (including 46 medicinal, 2 aromatic and 14 non medicinal plants) belonging to 38 families were collected from different regions of Himachal Pradesh. The plants from Himalayan region were tested for their anti-proliferative activities by using lessThan i greaterThan Saccharomyces cerevisiae lessThan /i greaterThan as a drug discovery tool. The ethanolic extracts and essential oils of different plant parts such as flowers, leaves, fruit and rhizome were tested for anti-proliferative activity against budding yeast using agar well diffusion assays lessThan i greaterThan . lessThan /i greaterThan Amongst the tested plants, lessThan i greaterThan Curcuma longa lessThan /i greaterThan (rhizome) (Zingiberaceae) showed highest anti-proliferative effect with a zone of clearance of 26 mm and found fungicidal for yeast growth. lessThan i greaterThan Chrysanthemum indicum lessThan /i greaterThan (leaves) (Asteraceae) exhibited anti-proliferative activity, with zone of clearance of 19.5 mm and fungistatic effect. In comparison, lessThan i greaterThan Aegle marmelose lessThan /i greaterThan (leaves) (Rutaceae) showed least anti-proliferative effect, with zone of clearance of 18.5 mm and found fungicidal. The essential oils of lessThan i greaterThan Cymbopogon citratus lessThan /i greaterThan and lessThan i greaterThan Rosmariuns officinalis lessThan /i greaterThan also exhibited strong anti-proliferative effects against yeast growth. The phytochemicals of these plants responsible for anti-proliferative effect in yeast can be purified and explored for anticancer potential in humans. ANIL KUMAR, KAMAL DEV AND ANURADHA SOURIRAJAN yeast, anti-proliferative, anti-cancer, cell cycle, medicinal plants, phytochemicals, Himachal Pradesh, Saccharomyces cerevisiae 280-288