Ethnopharmacological relevance In the traditional Indian and Thai system of medicine, Mimusops elengi Linn., flower is used as brain tonic and to calm anxiety and panic attacks. Aim of the study The present study was designed to investigate the neuroprotective effect of hydroalcoholic extract of Mimusops elengi (ME) against cerebral ischemic reperfusion injury in rats. Materials and methods Male rats were pretreated with ME (100 and 200mg/kg) for seven days and focal cerebral ischemia was induced by middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) method. After 60min of MCAO and 24h of reperfusion, a battery of behavioral tests assessed the extent of neurological deficits. Infarct volume and brain edema were measured in TTC stained brain sections and the extent of blood brain barrier (BBB) disruption was observed by Evan's blue extravasation. Oxidative and nitrative stress parameters were estimated in the brain homogenates. Further, simultaneous quantification of five polyphenolic biomarkers were done using HPLC. Results Pretreatment with ME at doses of 100 and 200mg/kg significantly improved the neurobehavioral alterations and reduced the infarct volume, edema and extent of BBB disruption induced by ischemia reperfusion injury. It also prevented the alteration in the antioxidant status and reduced the nitrite levels when compared to ischemic animals. Further, HPLC studies revealed that ME contains five bioactive polyphenolic compounds. Conclusions These results clearly indicate the neuroprotective effect of ME against stroke like injury. The observed protective effect might be attributed to the polyphenolic compounds and their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory property.