The high mortality rate of rats during the cadmium exposure period indicated the cadmium dose was too high or the experimented rats were more sensitive to cadmium than rats in our previous experiments when we established a rat model for renal and liver injuries induced by cadmium . The antagonistic and prophylactic effects of the leaf extract were not defined at the cadmium dose used in this study because of the high mortality rate. However, rats fed the leaf extract before and during cadmium exposure had a slightly lower mortality rate than the positive control group treated with CdCl2 alone. Administration of the T. laurifolia Lindl. leaf extract by gavage may reduce cadmium toxicity but not antagonize or prevent the lethality caused by high cadmium exposure. Therefore, our next study will be focus on reducing cadmium dosages and pretreatment experimented rats with T. laurifolia Lindl. leaf extract by other routes of administration, such as drinking water