Cadmium is an important occupational and environmental pollutant that damages various organs, especially renal proximal tubular cells. We examined the effect of aqueous extract of Buddleja officinalis (ABO) on cadmium chloride ($CdCl_2$)-induced cytotoxicity in HK-2 human renal proximal tubular cells. HK-2 cells were preincubated with ABO (50, 100, 200 and 400 ${mu}g/ml$) for 3 hr and then treated with 10 ${mu}M$ $CdCl_2$ for 24 hr. The effect of ABO on $CdCl_2$-induced cytotoxicity in HK-2 cells was investigated by using MTT assay, morphological observation, flow cytometric analysis and Western blot. The results of the MTT assay and morphological observation indicated that $CdCl_2$-induced cytotoxicity was prevented by pretreatment with ABO. In flow cytometric analysis, ABO reduced sub-G1 peak (apoptotic peak) in $CdCl_2$-treated cells. $CdCl_2$-induced procaspase-3 proteolysis and PARP cleavage reduced by pretreatment with ABO. These results suggest that ABO effectively inhibited $CdCl_2$-induced cytotoxicity in HK-2 cells.