Trichosanthes dioica Roxb. (Cucurbitaceae), is a dioecious climber, traditionally used in India for several medicinal purposes including purgative. The present study aimed to evaluate the gastrointestinal effects (laxative and prokinetic) of triterpenoid enriched extract of T. dioica root (CETD) in Swiss albino mice. The laxative activity of CETD (50 and 100 mg/kg body weight per os) was evaluated by assessing the different excretory bowel activities in naive (non-constipated) and in drug (loperamide)-induced constipation in mice. Further, the gastrointestinal transit was measured in both naive and in constipated mice to ascertain the prokinetic effect. Castor oil (0.5 ml/mouse per os) was used as reference drug. CETD significantly and dose dependently increased all excretory bowel activities and gastrointestinal transit in both naive and in constipated mice. CETD at 100 mg/kg body weight was found to be the most active causing diarrhoea in mice. Therefore, T. dioica root extract demonstrated remarkable stimulant laxative and prokinetic effects in Swiss albino mice validating its prime ethnomedicinal usage in the Indian traditional medicine.