We were carried out to monitor pesticide residues in herbal medicine. In Korea Pharmacy, these are no critics for pesticides except 5 kinds of organic chlorines (BHC, DDT, Aldrin, Endrin, Dieldrin) and heavy metals. We analysed 53 kinds of pesticides consisted of 14 kinds of organochlorines, 20 kinds of organophosphoruses, and 19 kinds of pesticides estimated endocrine disruptor on 373 samples consisted with 30kinds of herbal medicine. In this study, Domestic, Chinese and Japanese herbal medicines were tested with GC/ECD, GC/NPD and then confirmed with GC/MSD. Recoveries were 75～110% in ECD detector and 76～97% in NPD detector. Detection limits were 0.004～0.064ppm in ECD detector and 0.006～0.094ppm in NPD detector. Organochlorines and others were not detected in samples.

The concentration of heavy metal were studied for the estimation of quality in herbal medicines which is Bupleuri Radix, Paeoniae Radix, Dioscoreae Rhizoma and Astragali Radix in products of north Gyeongbuk area. Also, we collected soils from several area in Gyeongbuk, and determined heavy metal concentration of soils by ICP. We compared with herbal medicines in products of Gyeongbuk and their soils. The average levels of heavy metal of herbal medicines in Gyeongbuk area are as follows : Mercury is 0.037㎎/㎏, Chromium is 0.093㎎/㎏, Nickel is 0.108㎎/㎏, Copper is 0.475㎎/㎏, Zinc is 3.14㎎/㎏, Manganese is 1.52㎎/㎏, Iron is 7.83㎎/㎏, and Cadmium, Lead and Arsenic is not detected. It was very lower in concentrations than those of average Korea area. For the heavy metals contents of Gyeongbuk area, in Gong Jung Ri, represented the higher level, it may be due to a near the road. The Cd contents in soil was not a wide difference. For the As and Pb contents in soil, Song Sa Ri (Bupleuri Radix) represented the higher level(0.68㎎/㎏, 1523㎎/kg). Correlation coefficients of heavy metal contents in cultured herbal medicines and their soils did not give reproducible results. But the degree of correlation between a few heavy metal contents of Dioscoreae Rhizoma and their soil showed the good transfer from the soil.

The concentration of heavy metal were studied for the estimation of quality in herbal medicines which is Bupleuri Radix, Paeoniae Radix, Dioscoreae Rhizoma and Astragali Radix in products of north Gyeongbuk area. And we collected soils from several area in Gyeongbuk, and determined heavy metal concentration of soils by ICP. We compared with herbal medicines in products of Gyeongbuk and their soils. For the heavy metals contents of Gyeongbuk area, in Gong Jung Ri, represented the higher level, it may be due to a near the road. The Cd contents in soil was not a wide difference. For the As and Pb contents in soil, Song Sa Ri (Bupleuri Radix) represented the higher level (0.68㎎/㎏, 1523㎎/kg). Heavy metal contents in cultured herbal medicines and their soils did not give reproducible results. But the degree of correlation between a few heavy metal contents of Dioscoreae Rhizoma and their soil showed the good transfer from the soil.

We compared with heavy metal concentration of herbal medicines in products of Gyeongbuk and the other area of Korea. The concentration of heavy metal were studied for the estimation of quality in herbal medicines which is Bupleuri Radix, Paeoniae Radix, Dioscoreae Rhizoma and Astragali Radix in products of north Gyeongbuk area. The average levels of heavy metal of herbal medicines in Gyeongbuk area are as follows：Mercury is 0.037㎎/㎏, Chromium is 0.093㎎/㎏, Nickel is 0.108㎎/㎏, Copper is 0.475㎎/㎏, Zinc is 3.14㎎/㎏, Manganese is 1.52㎎/㎏, Iron is 7.83㎎/㎏, and Cadmium, Lead and Arsenic is not detected. It was very lower in concentrations than those of average Korea area. Therefore, Gyeongbuk area appear to be more proper to cultivated land than other area. Minerals such as Ca and K were extracted more than Na and P in herbal medicines products of Gyeongbuk respectively. Minerals and heavy metal concentrations distributed in herbal medicines were analyzed. Little or no relationship was observed between minerals and heavy metals.

This study was investigated the residual contents of sulfur dioxide on the 373 kinds of herbal medicine distributed from Korea, China, and Japan. A modified Monier-Williams method was described for the determination of SO2 contents in herbal medicines. The residual contents of SO2 were not detected at 221 products(59.8%) in total 373 products. Regardless of region, SO2 contents were not found at Farfarae Flos, Zizyphi Spinosi Semen, Castanea crenata, and Strychni Ignatii Semen. But it's found at Asparagi Radix, Codonopsitis Radix, Lilii Bulbus, and Kaempferiae Rhizoma of every region collected the samples. Also, SO2 contents were not detected at the herbal medicines which collected cultural fields of dometic. SO2 contents ranged 11～3990 mg/kg(mean 152 mg/kg) at domestic samples, 11～3440 mg/kg(mean 603 mg/kg) at imported samples. After treated with water wash and hot water extraction, the reduction rates of sulfur dioxide were appeared with 24.4%～68.7% and 83.8%～100.0%, respectively. These data will be used to establish a criteron of residual sulfur dioxide in herbal medicines.