It became evident in this study that carbon tetrachloride (CCl4), can induce renal oxidative damage. The hepatoprotective effects of vitamin E (Vit. E) and kolaviron (KV), a biflavonoid complex from the seeds of Garcinia kola are well documented. The present study was designed to investigate and compare the renal protective effects of Vit. E and KV in mice given CCl4 (1.2 g kg(-1)) intra-peritoneally thrice a week for two weeks. CCl4 caused a marked increase in serum and renal lipid peroxidation (LPO) by 106 and 225%, respectively. Treatment with KV at 100 and 200 mg kg(-1) and Vit. E at 100 mg kg(-1) significantly (p < 0.05) decreased the CCl4-mediated increase in LPO. Furthermore, CCl4-intoxication decreased the levels of renal reduced glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) by 44, 56 and 43%, respectively. Treatment with KV and Vit. E significantly (p < 0.05) ameliorated the GSH and SOD levels. Specifically, KV at 100 and 200 mg kg(-1) increased GSH by 32 and 27% and SOD levels by 50 and 53%, respectively. Likewise, treatment with Vit. E increased GSH and SOD levels by 31 and 53%, respectively. Effects on markers of renal functions showed that CCl4-intoxication significantly (p < 0.05) elevated serum urea and creatinine by 287 and 186%, respectively. While treatment with Vit. E decreased serum urea and creatinine by 60 and 55%, respectively, KV produced insignificant (p > 0.05) effect on these parameters. This study found KV unable to protect against CCl4-induced renal damage but confirmed the potency of Vit. E to enhance recovery from renal oxidative damage.