1 Article Info Article history Received 10 October 2024 Revised 12 November 2024 Accepted 13 November 2024 Published Online 30 December 2024 Keywords Gerbera jamesonii Adlam Scopolamine Reserpine Elevated plus maze Forced swim test Tail suspension test Novel object detection test Antidepressant, antiamnesic activity, and toxicity profile of the ethanolic extract of Gerbera jamesonii Adlam flowers Shaguftha Naaz and Zeenath Banu  Department of Pharmacology, RBVRR Women's College of Pharmacy, Affiliated to Osmania University, Hyderabad-500027, Telangana State, India Abstract The study evaluated the antidepressant, antiamnesic, and toxicity profile of the ethanolic extract of Gerbera jamesonii Adlam (EEGJ) flowers. The antidepressant activity of EEGJ (100 and 200 mg/kg, p.o.) was assessed in rats using the tail suspension test (TST) and forced swim test (FST). Antiamnesic effects were evaluated using the elevated plus maze (EPM) test and novel object detection test (NODT) . Acute toxicity studies were conducted following OECD-420 guidelines. EEGJ exhibited dose-dependent antidepressant activity, significantly reducing immobility duration ( p<0.001) compared to reserpine-treated animals in both TST and FST. EEGJ also showed significant antiamnesic effects in scopolamine-induced amnesia models. Treated animals showed improved transfer latencies in the EPM (p<0.001 vs. scopolamine) and higher discrimination indices in NODT (p <0.001 vs. scopolamine), indicative of enhanced learning and memory. Phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of active constituents such as flavonoids, terpenoids, alkaloids, saponins, and phenols, which are likely responsible for the observed pharmacological effects. The ethanolic extract of G. jamesonii flowers demonstrated significant antidepressant and antiamnesic activities with a favourable safety profile. These findings suggest EEGJ's potential as a therapeutic agent for managing depression and memory-related disorders. Copyright © 2024 Ukaaz Publications. All rights reserved. Email: ukaaz@yahoo.com; Website: www.ukaazpublications.com Journal of Phytonanotechnology and Pharmaceutical Sciences 4(4): 1-8, 2024 Online ISSN:2583-0376 http://jpps.ukaazpublications.com DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.54085/jpps.2024.4.4.1 Journal of Phytonanotechnology and Pharmaceutical Sciences Corresponding author: Ms. Zeenath Banu Senior Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacology, RBVRR Women's College of Pharmacy, Affiliated to Osmania University, Hyderabad-500027, Telangana State, India E-mail: banu.zeenath106@gmail.com Tel.: +91-9298806033 Original Article : Open Access 1. Introduction Medicinal plants have been traditionally used to treat several diseases worldwide since the beginning of civilisation. The herbal drugs are also used as household remedies for common ailments by all sections of people either directly as traditional remedies in different indigenous systems of medicine or indirectly in pharmaceutical preparations of modern medicine. Plant-based medicines have grown in popularity because they are highly affordable, accessible, readily available, more