Polysaccharide

Long-chain carbohydrate molecules — cellulose, hemicellulose, pectins, and sphagnum’s own signature polysaccharide, sphagnan — that make up the structural material of the original bog plants before decomposition breaks them down.

Plain-Language Summary

Sphagnan is the standout: a pectin-like polysaccharide found only in sphagnum moss, part of what lets the living moss actively acidify and preserve its bog environment (the same chemistry behind sphagnum’s role in exceptional organic preservation, including bog bodies). Polysaccharides are highest in fresh or lightly decomposed peat and decline as humification proceeds — the opposite trend from humic acid, which only appears with deeper decomposition. That trade-off is one reason peat products aimed at moisture retention favor less-humified peat, while products built around humic/fulvic acid content favor more-humified peat.

What They Do

Hygroscopic — they attract and bind water at the skin surface, contributing a moisturizing effect distinct from (and complementary to) the lipid fraction’s occlusive effect. Sphagnan specifically has documented antimicrobial and wound-healing-supportive activity, tying back to sphagnum moss’s historical use in wound dressings (see Sphagnol).

Where the Data Lives

This page is a plain-language orientation. For the full evidence-graded list of biological activities and the specific studies behind each claim, see Polysaccharides.