Three polysaccharide fractions were separated from the extract of Lycoris aurea using DEAE-52 and Sephadex G-150 column chromatography. FT-IR spectroscopy revealed the typical characteristics of polysaccharide fractions. The molecular weights of three polysaccharides were characterized by HPGFC, which were 31.9 kDa, 35.7 kDa, and 72.7 kDa, respectively. Their chemical compositions were also studied. The conditions for microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) of polysaccharide from L. aurea were investigated through an orthogonal design of L 9 (3 3 ) in this work.Lycoris aurea is a perennial herbaceous plant. It is a member of the Amaryllidaceace family, possesses highly decorative characteristics, and has been used from ancient times in floriculture and medicine. Amaryllidaceace is rich in alkaloids, especially galanthamine, which is a long-acting, selective, reversible, and competitive inhibitor of acetylcholinesterase; therefore, it is a reasonable approximation of the ideal concept of symptomatic Alzheimer′s disease therapy [1].Polysaccharides, another important components, are also present in large amounts in the Amaryllidaceace family, especially in the bulb. Our laboratory found that the bulb of L. aurea contained, depending on the seasons, from 10.87% to 37.44% polysaccharides (per fresh weight). Some studies have been conducted on the extraction, purification, structural analysis, and biological activity of polysaccharides from Narcissus, e.g., Narcissus tazetta L. [2][3][4][5][6]. However, to the best of our knowledge, there are no published reports on the extraction and phytochemical composition of polysaccharides from L. aurea. Microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) is an extraction procedure that, compared to conventional techniques, is fast and uses very little solvent [7]. Therefore, we focused on the conditions for microwave-assisted extracting of polysaccharides from L. aurea, which ubiquitously improved polysaccharide production and shortened procedure time, providing a foundation theory for applying the technology to mass production. To learn more about the identification of L. aurea polysaccharides, a pectic polysaccharide-rich extract from the bulb was purified, and the molecular weights (M w ) and chemical compositions of purified polysaccharides were also measured. Table 1 shows the yields of polysaccharides under the indicated conditions. An orthogonal design [L 9 (3 3 )] was applied to optimize the solide-liquid ratio, temperature, and microwave time. Generally, a higher solid-liquid ratio for a longer time and higher temperature of incubation gave a higher yield of polysaccharide. A significant yield was observed at temperatures from 90°C to 100°C. A longer microwave time produced a higher yield. The solid-liquid ratio also had a significant impact on the overall yield of polysaccharide. The order of impact of the different factors on the yield was: microwave temperature > time of extraction > solid-liquid ratio. A comparison of polysaccharide yield and purity between microwave-assisted and trad...