Cordyceps ophioglossoides

is a valuable traditional medicinal material.We have found that intracellular polysaccharide(IPS) is the major biologically active ingredient in

Cordyceps ophioglossoides

.This study is the first time to optimize the yield of IPS from

Cordyceps ophioglossoides

.The optimal medium for IPS production consists of glucose 54.50 g·L

-1

yeast powder 25.50 g·L

-1

NaH

2

PO

4

0.4 g·L

-1

and K

2

HPO

4

0.4 g·L

-1

.The suggested culture conditions are 24 ℃

initial pH 4.5 with a rotary speed of 120 r·min

-1

for 168 h.The yield of IPS is 737.93 mg·L

-1

which is 50% higher than the yield under the conditions prior to optimization.The anti-oxidative activities of IPS in

Cordyceps ophioglossoides

L2 are also characterized using various in vitro assay.The anti-oxidative activity may explain the reason why IPS from

Cordyceps ophioglossoides

can be used to fight against neurodegenerative dis-eases and menopausal symptoms.