Five polysaccharide samples, coded as RPS1, RPS2, RPS3, RPS4, and RPS5, were isolated stepwise from Rhizoma Panacis Japonici (RPJ) by using 0.15 M NaCl aqueous solution at 25 degrees C, boiling water at 120 degrees C, 0.5 M NaOH/0.01 M NaBH4 at 10 degrees C, 1.0 M NaOH/0.02 M NaBH4 at 10 degrees C, and 19 M HCOOH at 4 degrees C, respectively. The yields were 0.39%, 1.08%, 2.41%, 0.32%, and 0.04% for RPSI to RPS5, respectively. The chemical structures of the polysaccharides were highly branched alpha(-(1 -> 4)-D-glucan heteropolysaccharides and the values of degree of branch (DB) were in the range of 35-45% for RPS1 to RPS5. All of the polysaccharides were water soluble, and their solubility decreased from RPS1 to RPS5. The weight average molecular mass were 3.5 x 10(4), 1.47 x 10(5), 1.24 x 10(6), 9.26 x 10(5), and 1.36 x 10(6) for RPS1 to RPS5, respectively. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.