Objective: To determine the contents of arsenic(As)

barium(Ba)

cadmium(Cd)

chromium(Cr)

copper(Cu)

mercury(Hg)

nickel(Ni)

lead(Pb) and harmful elements in 10 kinds of Chinese medicinal materials(Dioscoreae Nipponicae Rhizoma

Sanguisorbae Radix

Curcumae Rhizoma

etc) from different sources

establish the corresponding basic database for safety assessment of exposure level of the above elements.Method: The samples were pretreated by microwave digestion

and scandium(Sc)

germanium(Ge)

indium(In) and bismuth(Bi) were used as internal standards.The content of heavy metals was determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry(ICP-MS).Result: Most of these 8 elements determined in samples were within the limits.The contents of elements in different varieties were different

and the contents of most elements in Clematidis Radix et Rhizoma chinensis and Asteris Radix et Rhizoma were higher than those in other species.Except for almost no correlation between Hg and Cd with other elements

the 6 elements of Cr

Ni

As

Cu

Pb and Ba almost had significant positive correlation with each other.Conclusion: Exceeding the standard of heavy metals in medicinal herbs is affected by many factors

such as origin

environment

soil

etc;which needs to be strengthened to supervise and control strictly and ensure the quality and safety of medicinal herbs.The establishment of this database provides a reference for formulation of safety standards of Chinese medicines.