The raw material Lokta or Nepali handmade paper is a bark of the Lokta plant - a sapling stick of about 5 to 7 feet in length - also sometimes referred to as the paper tree. The word Lokta refers to one of the local species of Daphne Cannabin or Daphne Papyracea - a small woody plant of Laurel family. It is also familiar to Nepalese people by the name of Baruwa or Kaagte Paat. Best quality of Lokta stick usually grows and exists at an attitude of 6000 to 10000 ft. in the Himalayan forest of the Nepal highlands.

Season begin  from October to collect bark. It is harvested in a manner similar to sugar cane, cutting it close to the base of the plant. The plant has a unique feature which allows it to regenerate to maturity again within 4 to 5 years after being cut despite. The harvesting process actually helps the forest continue to grow because if the Lokta was allowed to continue to grow past maturity it would dry up and begin to decay, preventing any new growth. Thus, by plucking Lokta sticks out, neither the forest is destroyed nor harm is done to the fragile forest ecology. Nepali handmade or Lokta paper is prized not only for its beauty, but also for its multiple uses. Prior to the Chinese annexation of Tibet , family-run factories in the Himalayas supplied paper to Tibetan monasteries for sacred manuscripts. Nepalese still use it’s  today for official government documents, bandages to heal minor cuts and wounds, and for wrapping paper to retain the potency of incense, spices and medicine.