Lycium barbarum polysaccharide (LBP) was subjected to ultrasonic degradation under the controlled conditions, such as, temperature, irradiation time, initial pH value, and concentration of solution. The ultrasonic degradation of LBP was demonstrated by the changes of intrinsic viscosity. Viscometry was used to study the degradation behavior and a kinetic model was developed to estimate the degradation rate. The results showed that the degradation rate was reduced with the increase of solution concentration and pH, and increased with increase of temperature. The relationship between the number average molar mass (M-n) and intrinsic viscosities as interpreted using the Mark-Houwink equation suggested that LBP adopted a flexible coil conformation in aqueous solution. The activation energy of ultrasonic degradation of LBP is 26.5 kJ/mol, which indicates that the ultrasonic degradation is a convenient, time saving, and cost-efficient method for obtaining a desired molecular weight. (C) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 48: 509-513, 2010