Abstract: Polysaccharides have a variety of biological activities. The polysaccharides from medicinal and edible fungi have gained extensive attention in the fields of food, medicine and biology. Recently, there are more and more reports related to treatments and health care functions of polysaccharides from fungi. Pachyman is a polysaccharide extracted from Poria cocos, and it has significant anti-tumor activity. In this article, the recent research progress in the composition, characteristics, fermentation and functions of pachyman are reviewed with the goal of providing a comprehensive survey for further research and development of pachyman, and a reference for protecting the resource of edible and medicinal fungi.

Key words: Poria cocos, pachyman, function, research progress