Traditional Chinese medicine has gained significant attention in recent years owing to its multi-component, multi-target, and multi-pathway advantages in treating various diseases. Forsythiae Fructus , derived from the dried fruit of Forsythia suspensa (Thunb.) Vahl, is one such traditional Chinese medicine with numerous in vivo and ex vivo therapeutic effects, including anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antiviral properties. Forsythiae Fructus contains more than 200 chemical constituents, with forsythiaside, forsythiaside A, forsythiaside B, isoforsythiaside, forsythin, and phillyrin being the most active ingredients. Forsythiae Fructus exerts neuroprotective effects by modulating various pathways, including oxidative stress, anti-inflammation, NF-κB signaling, 2-AG, Nrf2 signaling, acetylcholinesterase, PI3K-Akt signaling, ferroptosis, gut-brain axis, TLR4 signaling, endoplasmic reticulum stress, PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling, and PPARγ signaling pathway. This review aims to highlight the potential therapeutic effects of Forsythiae Fructus on the central nervous system and summarize the current knowledge on the active ingredients of Forsythiae Fructus and their effects on different pathways involved in neuroprotection. In this review, we conducted a comprehensive search of databases (PubMed, Google Scholar, Web of Science, China Knowledge Resource Integrated, local dissertations and books) up until June 2023 using key terms such as Forsythia suspensa , Forsythiae Fructus , forsythiaside, isoforsythiaside, forsythin, phillyrin, Alzheimer′s disease, Parkinson's disease, ischemic stroke, intracerebral hemorrhage, traumatic brain injury, aging, and herpes simplex virus encephalitis. Our findings indicate that Forsythiae Fructus and its active ingredients own therapeutic effects on the central nervous system by modulating various pathways, including oxidative stress, anti-inflammation, NF-κB signaling, 2-AG, Nrf2 signaling, acetylcholinesterase, PI3K-Akt signaling, ferroptosis, the gut-brain axis, TLR4 signaling, endoplasmic reticulum stress, PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling, and PPARγ signaling pathway. Forsythiae Fructus and its active ingredients have demonstrated promising neuroprotective properties. Future in vivo and clinical studies of Forsythiae Fructus and its active ingredients should be conducted to establish precise dosage and standard guidelines for a more effective application in the treatment of neurological disorders. Molecular pathways involved in the pharmacological properties of Forsythiae Fructus and its active ingredients. The arrows (→) represent elevation, and these symbol (┤)represent lowering. This figure was created using Biorender.Abbreviations: Aβ, β-amyloid; Ach, Acetylcholine; AD, Alzheimer′s disease; BCL-2, B-cell lymphoma-2; CAT, catalase; GFAP, glial fibrillary acidic protein; GLU, glutamate; GPX4, glutathione peroxidase 4; GSH, glutathione; GSH-Px, glutathione peroxidase; HSE, Herpes simplex virus encephalitis; HSV-1, Herpes simplex virus type I; HO-1, Heme oxygenase; H2O2, hydrogen peroxide; Iba1, ionized calcium-binding adaptor molecule-1; ICH, Intracerebral hemorrhage; IFN-γ, interferon-gamma; IKK, IκB kinase; IL, Interleukin 1; JIP-3, JNK-interacting protein-3; JNK, Jun NH2-terminal kinase; L-Glu, L-glutamate; MDA, malondialdehyde; NF-κB, nuclear factor kappa-B; NO, nitric oxide; NOS, nitric oxide synthase; Nrf2, Nuclear factor E2-related factor 2; NQO1,NAD(P)H quinone oxidoreductase-1; PD, Parkinson's disease; PGE2, Prostaglandin E2; PI3K/Akt/MTOR: Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B/mammalian target of rapamycin; PPARγ, Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ; ROS, reactive oxygen species; SOD, superoxide dismutase; TBI, Traumatic brain injury; TGF-β, transforming growth factor-β; TLR4, toll-like receptor 4; TNF-α, tumor necrosis factor alpha; T-SOD, total superoxide dismutase; WDFY1: WD Repeat and FYVE domain containing 1; 2-AG, 2-arachidonoylglycerol; 4-HNE, 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal; [Display omitted] • Forsythiae Fructus , derived from the dried fruit of Forsythia suspensa (Thunb.) Vahl , is a traditional Chinese medicine. • Forsythiae Fructus and its various active ingredients exert neuroprotective effects by modulating various pathways. • Forsythiae Fructus has demonstrated promising potential for the treatment of nervous system diseases. • The therapeutic effects and clinical applications of Forsythiae Fructus is needed to further explore. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]