Curcumin (Cur) is the active component in Curcuma longa, and it has been reported to exhibit a variety of biological effects such as anti-inflammation and anti-oxidation. This study aims to investigate the effect of Cur on cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury and whether the Janus kinase 2 and signal transducer and activator 3 of transcription (JAK2/STAT3) signaling pathway is involved in the neuroprotective effects of Cur. Rats were subjected to 2 h transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO), followed by 24 h reperfusion. Rats were randomly assigned into sham group, MCAO group, MCAO + Cur group. AG490, a JAK2 inhibitor, was utilized to throw light upon the underlying mechanism. The results suggested that compared to MCAO, Cur attenuated neurological deficits, reduced cerebral infarction area and lowered brain water content. In addition, Cur reduced the activity of IL-1β and IL-8. The results of western blot indicated that Cur enhanced the expression of p-JAK2 and p-STAT3, which was abolished by AG490 administration. Our results suggested that Cur protects effects against cerebral I/R injury through the activation of JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway.