Petiveria alliacea L. is a shrubby plant, native from tropic regions, used to treat poor memory and improve learning. In the present study, it was evaluated the effects of hydroalcoholic extract of the leaves of P. alliacea (PaLHE, 900 mg/kg) on learning and memory of adult rats, subjected to behavioral tests inhibitory avoidance and Morris Water Maze. In addition, it was performed a thin layer chromatography (TLC) to detect sulphur compound, to correlate them with the investigated responses. Dichloromethane fractions, obtained from aqueous extracts of Alllium sativum and Allium Cepa served as detection patterns. P. alliacea is also present controversial activities on central nervous system (CNS). For this reason, it was realized a bibliographic review of ethnobotanical, phytochemical and neuropharmacological activities of this plant in indexed databases, books, dissertations, thesis and similar scientific sources. According to the results, EHFPa improved short and long term memory, spatial memory and learning. In TLC, the EHFPa produced retention points similar to the standard samples, indicating that there are sulfur compounds in the extract, being possible that they contribute to observed responses. About the review, P. alliacea is popularly used to treat epilepsy, anxiety, poor memory, as a sedative, etc. Such properties have been demonstrated experimentally, varying depending on the dose, preparation, and part of plant used. Phytochemical studies detected several metabolites in P. alliacea, among which sulfur compounds, flavonoids and derivatives classes the most isolated compounds.
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