Abstract: Background and Objective: The anxiolytic drugs have an unfavourable risk/benefit ratio, as they produce anterograde amnesia, dependence, abstinence syndrome, the paradoxical reaction in humans and decay of psychomotor functions. Therefore, research has been conducted to identify safer, more specific medications possessing anxiolytic effects without complications. In the past few years, several herbal medicines have been used for the management of anxiety in the world. The present study was designed to study the anxiolytic property of ethanolic extracts of Galinsoga parviflora, an important and commonly used for its medicinal properties belongs to the Asteraceae family. Materials and Methods: The anxiolytic activity was evaluated with the adult mice by hole board test, light-dark box test and motor coordination with the rotarod test. The efficacy of the plant extract (100, 200 and 400 mg kg–1) was compared with the standard anxiolytic drug diazepam (1 mg kg–1) i.p. Results: The extract increased the time spent in the brightly-lit chamber of the light/dark box, as well as in the number of times the animal crossed from one compartment to the other. Performance on the rotarod was unaffected. In the hole board test, the extract significantly increased both head-dip counts and head-dip duration. Galinsoga parviflora, in contrast to diazepam, had no effect on locomotion. Conclusion: These results provide support for the anxiolytic activity of Galinsoga parviflora, in line with its medicinal traditional use and may also suggest a better side effect profile of Galinsoga parviflora relative to diazepam.