The polysaccharide fraction from various herbal medicines has been well studied for its immunomodulatory action and antitumor effect, such as lentinan and lucid Ganoderma, for more than twenty years. These actions and effects may be due to stimulation of the phagocytic activity and anti-inflammatory action. It is also found to increase hematopoiesis in the bone marrow and to promote proliferation of several types of hematopoietic precursor cells. It was also found to provide radioprotective effect by improving the recovery of hematopoietic function in animals. These findings suggest that the polysaccharides from plant origins have significant pharmacological action on cells with high proliferative capacity in the body. Recently, increasing evidence implicates that vegetal polysaccharides have similar protective and repairing activities in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract as the cells in this system also have the same biological property. In this review, we would like to update and summarize findings both in animals and in human pertaining to the pharmacological actions of polysaccharides from different vegetal sources on the GI and hepatic disorders including ulcer and cancer diseases.