Objective: Different extraction methods of polysaccharides were compared in order to optimize a better method to extract polysaccharides from the raw and processing Cirsium japonicum. Method: Four methods were used to extract the raw and processing C. japonicum. The four methodswere as follows:① water extraction followed by alcohol precipitation; ② removing impurity by ethanol extraction; ③ultrasonic auxiliary extraction; ④extraction with alkali solution. Polysaccharides were detected by phenol sulfuric acid colorimetry. Result: The polysaccharide content extracted by above four different methods in the raw C. japonicum was 1.587%

1.908%

2.283% and 0.112%

and in the processing C. japonicum was 2.142%

0.425%

2.302% and 2.343%

respectively. Conclusion: The optimum method for the raw C. japonicum is ultrasonic auxiliary method which had significant difference while the best method for the processing of C. japonicum is removing impurity by ethanol extraction method.