Vitis amurensis (VA; Vitaceae) has long been used in oriental herbal medicine. It has been reported that roots and seeds of VA have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. In the present study, the protective effect of ethanol extract from stems and leaves of VA on hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) (100 μm)-induced neuronal cell damage was examined in primary cultured rat cortical neurons. VA (10-100 μg/ml) concentration-dependently inhibited H2O2-induced apoptotic neuronal cell death measured by 3-[4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and Hoechst 33342 staining. VA inhibited H2O2-induced elevation of intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) and generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which were measured by fluorescent dyes. Pretreatment of VA also prevented glutamate release into medium induced by 100 μm H2O2, which was measured by HPLC. These results suggest that VA showed a neuroprotective effect on H2O2-induced neuronal cell death by interfering with H2O2-induced elevation of [Ca2+]i, glutamate release, and ROS generation. This has a significant meaning of finding a new pharmacological activity of stems and leaves of VA in the CNS.