A wide array of substances present in the medicinal herbs or dietary plants have been screened for their ability to prevent carcinogenicity. However, the use of medicinal plants in modern medicine suffers from the fact that though hundreds of plants are used in the world to prevent or to cure diseases, scientific evidence is lacking in most cases. Therefore, it is necessary to provide scientific proof as to whether it is justified to use a plant or its active principle. As far as modern drugs are concerned, they must be further characterized after their pharmacological screening by studying the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties, including toxicity. In the present study, certain Indian medicinal plants such as Adhatoda vasica, Aegle marmelos, Allium sativum, Aloe vera, Andrographis paniculata, Azadirachta indica, Brassica compestris, Cuminum cyminum, Emblica officinalis, Lawsonia inermis, Mentha piperita, Moringa oleifera, Ocimum sanctum, Panax ginseng, Phyllanthus urinaria, Spirulina fusiformis and Urtica dioica have been reviewed for their chemopreventive effects in animal model system.