Disclosed is an alkaline extract of shredded pinecones yields a polyphenylpropanoid polysaccharide complex (PPC) that functions as an orally active immune adjuvant. Specifically, the oral PPC boosts the number of antigen-specific memory CD8+ T cells generated in response to a variety of vaccine types (DNA, protein, and dendritic cell) and bias the response towards one that is predominately a T helper 1 type. The oral PPC has potential for use be to enhance the T cell response generated by a variety of prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines designed to target a cellular response.
