Ethnobotanical surveys have revealed the use of jatobá for the treatment of several diseases. This study determined the effect of plant extracts on the development of Ehrlich carcinoma. Male Swiss mice (n=6) were subcutaneously inoculated with 106 tumor cells and intragastrically administered ethanol (2 mg·mL-1, 5 mg·mL-1, or 10 mg·mL-1) or aqueous extracts of jatobá seed or bark for 90 days. Tumor development did not significantly differ between the groups studied; however, animals treated with the aqueous extract of the seed (2.205 mg·mL-1) had a reduction in tumor size compared to those treated with the aqueous extract of the bark (1.7 mg·mL-1). The treatment was not found to influence the survival of the animals studied. A new group of animals (n=7), with or without the tumor, received the aqueous extract of jatobá seed for 7, 14, and 30 days to evaluate oxidative stress. The extract reduced the thiobarbituric acid reactive substances levels at 7 days in the liver and kidneys, and 14 days in brain and renal tissue. Protein carbonylation levels were also reduced at 7 days in the liver and brain tissue and 14 days in the liver. The reduced glutathione levels diminished in animals treated for 7 and 14 days. We conclude that treatment with the aqueous extract of the jatobá seed presents promising activity in the reduction of oxidative stress.