Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease are neurodegenerative disorders of unknown cause for which there is no cure or way of preventing or slowing its progression. Various genetic and environmental factors are thought to be involved in the onset of neurodegenerative diseases. Oxidative stress, such as the generation of reactive oxygen species and lipid peroxidation, is a major factor in initiating the disease process. However, oxidative stress in cells is known to be suppressed by drug-metabolizing enzymes, such as NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1), and antioxidant enzymes, such as catalase. Here, we used PC12 cells, which are a recognized model for neuronal cell death and neurite extension, to investigate whether Magnoliae Cortex derived from the Magnoliaceae plant family can induce these enzyme activities. Our results reveal that Magnoliae Cortex extract induces the activity of both NQO1 and catalase. In addition, the cytotoxic effect of hydrogen peroxide and 6-hydroxydopamine was significantly suppressed by pretreatment of the cells with Magnoliae Cortex extract. Based on our findings, we conclude that induction of these enzyme activities by Magnoliae Cortex extract leads to an enhancement of its cytoprotective effect.