Neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and Huntington's disease, constitute an escalating global health burden, collectively affecting more than fifty million individuals worldwide with projected increases driven by demographic ageing. Current pharmacological therapies predominantly offer symptomatic relief without modifying the underlying pathological progression, underscoring the critical need for novel neuroprotective interventions capable of targeting the multifactorial mechanisms that drive neuronal degeneration. Herbal extracts and their bioactive constituents represent a scientifically compelling and historically validated source of pharmacological diversity for neuroprotective drug development. This article systematically reviews the mechanistic basis of herbal neuroprotection, encompassing antioxidant activity, modulation of neuroinflammatory signalling cascades, mitochondrial preservation, inhibition of pathological protein aggregation, and activation of endogenous neuronal survival pathways. Major bioactive classes discussed include flavonoids, alkaloids, terpenoids, polyphenols, saponins, and stilbenes, with emphasis on their specific molecular targets and demonstrated efficacy in validated preclinical models of neurodegeneration. The article further examines the preclinical-to-clinical translational landscape, evaluating current clinical evidence, challenges related to standardization and bioavailability, and the role of advanced drug delivery technologies in enhancing CNS penetration and therapeutic efficacy. Regulatory frameworks governing botanical drug development and the ethical dimensions of ethnopharmacological research are critically appraised. The article concludes by identifying precision medicine integration, network pharmacology-guided formulation strategies, and biomarker-validated clinical trial design as priority directions for translating herbal neuroprotective research into clinically deployable therapeutics.