Paeonia emodi root (PE) is used as an antiepileptic remedy in traditional Unani system of medicine over centuries. PE (300 and 600 mg/kg), was evaluated on the course of kindling development, kindling-induced learning deficit and oxidative stress markers in pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) kindled mice. Male swiss albino mice were injected PTZ (35 mg/kg ip) once every alternate day. The animals were considered kindled after having received 11 PTZ injections and having reached atleast three consecutive stage 4 or 5 seizures. Morris water maze test was carried out 24 h after the last administration of PTZ, while the oxidative stress parameters (malondialdehyde [MDA] and glutathione) were carried out in the whole brain. PE (600 mg/kg orally) decreased the PTZ-kindled seizures and showed improvement in the learning deficit induced by PTZ kindling as evidenced by decreased seizure score (p< 0.01) and improved performance in morris water maze (p< 0.001). The decrease in MDA (p< 0.001) and increase in glutathione levels (p< 0.01) in PE-treated groups was also observed. The findings suggest the potential of ethanolic extract of PE as adjuvant to antiepileptic drugs with an added advantage of preventing cognitive impairment.