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Context: Bridelia ferruginea Benth (Euphorbiaceae) is an indigenous medicinal plant in Nigeria. It is usually a gnarled shrub which sometimes reaches the size of a tree in suitable condition. Decoctions of parts of this plant have been employed in ethno medicine in many parts of Africa for treatment of many ailments including malaria fever. Objective: In vivo antiplasmodial activity of aqueous stem bark extract of BF was investigated against Plasmodium berghei-infected mice. Materials and methods: The aqueous stem bark extract of BF (100–400mg/kg) was administered orally to P. berghei-infected mice in both early and established models of antiplasmodial studies. Results: The extract exhibited significant (p<0.05) antiplasmodial activity in early and established infection tests with a considerable mean survival time comparable to that of chloroquine, 10mg/kg. The oral LD50 obtained was greater than 5000mg/kg in mice. Discussion and conclusions: The findings show that aqueous stem bark extract of Bridelia ferruginea possesses considerable antiplasmodial activity which can be developed in malaria therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]