To study the effect of Buyang Huanwu Decoction (BHD) on neural cell apoptosis after cerebral ischemia in gerbils and its mechanism, gerbil model with cerebral ischemia was established by clamping of bilateral carotid arteries and then reperfusion. Neural cell apoptosis of hippocampal gyrus slides was observed under electron microscope 120 hours after reperfusion. The activities of Na + -K + ATPase , Ca 2+ ATPase , Mg 2+ ATPase and NOS, and the contents of lactic acid, NO and amino acid in cerebral tissues were detected 120 hours after reperfusion. The results showed that BHD can reduce the incidence of neural cell apoptosis of hippocampal gyrus, prevent the decrease of Na + -K + ATPase and Ca 2+ ATPase activities, increase NO content and NOS activity, and reduce cerebral glucose content. It is indicated that BHD can counteract neural cell apoptosis after cerebral ischemia in gerbils and its mechanism may be related to the improvement of cerebral energy metabolism, regulation of NO synthesis and antagonism of toxic effect of excitatory amino acid.