Introduction: Anxiety disorder is a common, problem that often associated with physiological symptoms. Because of synthetic drugs and medications possess enormous side effects, hence the present study was to investigate anxiolytic effect of seed of Ziziphus jujuba extract (SZJE) in rat using in Elevated plus maze (EPM).

  Methods: Anxiety was measured by the number of entries and duration spent in open and close arm of the EPM following administration of the extracts intraperitoneally (i.p).Total number of entries was measured as an index of locomotor activity. Diazepam (1.0 mg/kg, i.p.) was used as the positive control.

  Results: The SZJE at the dosage 50-100mg/kg increased the percentage of time-spent (p<0/05, p<0/001) and at the dosage 100mg/kg increased the percentage of arm entries in the open arms of the EPM ( p<0/001) and decreased the percentage of time-spent and the percentage of arm entries in the closed arms of the EPM. The effect of The SZJE at the dosage 100mg/kg did not differ significantly from diazepam. Ad ministration of the extracts in these doses had no effect on locomotor activity.

Conclusion: These results suggested that extract seed of Ziziphus jujuba possessed anxiolytic effect at 50-100 mg/kg doses.