OBJECTIVE To establish a spec,rophotometric method for the determination of the polysaccharides in Panax japonicus CA. Mey of HuBei. METHODS The polysaccharides were extracted with distilled water and precipitated with ethanol. Its total soluble sugar contents were detected colorimetrically by the anthrone-sulfuric acid method at 610 nm with glucose as standard. RESULTS The soluble polysaccharide from Panax japonicus C. A. Mey of HuBei was 126.8 mg·g^-1. The average recovery was 99.58%. CONCLUSION The methods is simple, rapid and well reproducible, it is suitable ...