Background Ethanol is the most commonly used and abused xenobiotic in the world. Royal jelly (RJ) has been considered as an antioxidant that protects against different agents. Aim of the work This study aimed to investigate the effect of ethanol on the rat tongue and the possible protective role of royal jelly. Material and methods Twenty five adult male rats were used in this study and were divided into 4 groups. Group I: 10 rats were divided equally into negative and positive controls. Group II: 5 rats received RJ at a dose of 100 mg/kg body weight by gastric tube daily for 30 days. Group III: 5 rats received ethanol at a dose of 10 ml/kg body weight from 30% v/v ethanol solution in distilled water by a gastric tube daily for 30 days. Group IV: 5 rats received both RJ and ethanol as the same previous doses by gastric tube for 30 days. Tongue sections were histologically prepared and examined. Results The results revealed that group II was nearly as group I. Group III revealed by LM dorsal surface of the tongue was covered by irregularly arranged, short and long lingual papillae. Some papillae were thin, with blunted tips and others were completely absent. The epithelial lining of the ventral surface also showed an apparent reduction in thickness. The keratin layer of the ventral surfaces of the tongue appeared in some regions discontinuous and detached. Some skeletal muscle fibers revealed separations and vacuolations. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) examination revealed a noticeable atrophy of lingual papillae from being short to being absent in focal areas. They were irregularly arranged in different directions. Group IV revealed amelioration of these changes. Conclusion Ethanol has damaging effects on the lingual papillae and muscles and royal jelly has a protective role for these effects. Key words: Lingual papillae, Ethanol, Royal jelly.