A nutraceutical composition containing 0.01-99% by weight polysaccharides
enriched from an extract of beans of Glycine max (L.) Merr. Also disclosed
are a method of enriching polysaccharides from pulverized beans of Glycine
max (L.) Merr.; a polysaccharide having a backbone of .alpha.-(1,6)-linked
glucose residues, and one or more galactose or mannose residues are bonded
to the C-3 or C-4 position of one or more of the glucose residues by a
(1,3)- or a (1,4)-linkage; and a method of treating a subject with such
polysaccharides to increase blood cell counts.
