The object of this study was to observe the effects of Scutellariae Radix (SR) aqueous extracts on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced rat acute lung injury. Five different dosages of SR extracts were orally administered once a day for 28 days before LPS treatments, and then 5 hours after lipopolysaccharide treatment, all rats were sacrificed. 8 groups, each of 16 rats per group were used in the present study. Changes on the body weights, lung weights, pulmonary transcapillary albumin transit, arterial gas parameters (pH, PaO₂ and PaCO₂) bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) protein, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and proinflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β) contents, total cell numbers, neutrophil and alveolar macrophage ratios, lung malondialdehyde (MDA), myeloperoxidase (MPO), proinflammatory cytokine TNF-α and IL-1β contents were observed with histopathology of the lung, changes on luminal surface of alveolus (LSA), thickness of alveolar septum, number of polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs). The results were compared with a potent antioxidant α-lipoic acid, 60 ㎎/㎏, in which the effects on LPS-induced acute lung injury were already confirmed. The results obtained in this study suggest that over 125 ㎎/㎏ of SR extracts showed favorable effects on the LPS-induced acute lung injury, and 250 ㎎/㎏ of SR extracts resembling acute respiratory distress syndrome mediated by their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects and .as similar to α-lipoic acid in the present study. Therefore, it is expected that SR will be showed favorable effects on the acute respiratory distress syndrome.