To compare the release ability of water-soluble polysaccharides in sporoderm-broken and nonbroken spores of Ganoderma lucidum, and establish a comparatively correct method for the determination and analysis of polysaccharide contents in Chinese herbs. The release ability of water-soluble polysaccharides was determined on the basis of phenol-sulfuric acid modification in different conditions. The release ability of polysaccharides of sporoderm-broken spores was much greater than that of nonbroken spores; and the phenol-sulfuric acid modified cation method proved excellent in accuracy and reproducibility, with a relative error less than 1.5%. The spores should be wall-wracked if used as a nutriment, or for extraction and analysis of their effective components. The method can be successfully used for the determination of polysaccharide contents in Chinese herbs or nutriments.