The principal objective of this study was to assess the anti oxidative activities of Petasites japonicus against oxidative stress in bovine brain tissue. Petasites japonicus is found with a relatively widespread distribution, and is cultivated as a culinary vegetable in Korea. Petasites japonicus samples were dried either by freeze-drying or by hot air-convection drying ($80^{circ}C$), then evaluated for their anti oxidative activity by measuring 1-dipheny-1,2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging, and by measuring thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) in brain homogenates subjected to $Fe^{2+}$-mediated lipids with or without the addition of botanical extract. Hot air convection-drying resulted in a slight increase in the extraction yield as compared with freeze-drying. However, total phenol and flavonoid contents in freeze-dried Petasites japonicas were significantly higher than those of hot air convection-drying. Freeze-drying increased the free radical scavenging activity of Petasites japonicas, leaves, and stems by 52.6, 28.6, and 248.0%, as compared with hot air convection-drying. Additionally, the $IC_{50}$ values measured by TBARS in hot air convection-dried Petasites japonicas, leaves, and stems were increased by 36.0, 31.6, and 15.9%, as compared to those of freeze-drying. Although anti oxidative activity was reduced slightly by heat processing in Petasites japonicas, freeze-drying for each portion of Petasites japonicus was the most appropriate for use as a functional food and pharmaceutical material.