Green tea(茶葉), the leaves of Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze (Thea sinensis L.), whose property, flavour and channel tropism is bitter and sweet in flavour(苦甘), cool in property(?), acting on the heart, lung, stomach and kidney channels(歸心???經), has the effects of clearing the head and eyes(淸?目), removing the thirst(???), digesting the food(?食), resolving the dampness(化?), facilitating the urination(利?), neutralizing a poison(解?). And this is also one of the most popular beverages in the world. So, this study was planned to check the neuroprotective effect of green tea on the global ischemia induced by 4-vessel occlusion in Wistar rats. Tea extract was lyophilized after extraction with water. We induced 4-vessel occlusion for 10 minutes and reperfused again. The number of CA1 pyramidal neurons were counted after 7 days of reperfusion under the cresyl violet staining. The results obtained that in 4-VO ischemia, Green tea showed significant neuroprotective effects(20 and 100 ㎎/㎏ of green tea extracts, p<0.05 and p<0.001 respectively) compared with control group. Each neuroprotective ratio was about 53.8%, 97.6% respectively. We estimated the amount of the main component (-)epigallocatechin gallate(EGCG) by HPLC, found out its net content in extract was about 9%. However, EGGG given at 10 ㎎/㎏ had HPLC, found out its net content in extract was about 9%. However, EGGG given at 10 ㎎/㎏ had no effect on global ischemia, indicating that EGGG may not be the only main active component of green tea. Immunohistochemical data partially explained the protective effects of green tea via promotion of bcl-2 induction in hippocampus. Consequently, green tea has neuroprotective effects on the global ischemia induced by 4-vessel occlusion in Wistar rats. This work was supported by Korea Research Foundation Grant. (KRF-2000-003-F00311)