中藥材重金屬限量標準係中藥品質管制重要規範之一，本計畫以感應耦合電漿質譜儀(ICP/MS)進行枳殼、酸棗仁、木香、金銀花、白朮、薄荷、桑枝、羌活、吳茱萸、砂仁、川楝子、雞血藤、地龍、地榆、大腹皮、廣藿香、前胡、何首烏、龍膽、射干等20種中藥材之鉛、鎘、汞、砷、銅等五種重金屬含量背景值調查，20種藥材中五種重金屬含量之80th%位數值範圍分別為鉛：0.05∼22.57 ppm、鎘：0.02∼1.71 ppm、汞：＜0.01∼0.17 ppm、砷：0.03∼1.88 ppm及銅：1.93∼26.57 ppm。枳殼等中藥材之定量極限分別為鉛0.05 ppm、鎘0.005 ppm、汞0.03 ppm、砷0.003 ppm及銅0.3 ppm。本結果可提供行政管理單位制訂限量標準之重要參考。

The restriction of heavy metals in raw materials of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an important issue for quality control of TCM. The amount of lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), arsenic (As) and copper (Cu) in Citri Immaturus Fructus, Ziziphi Spinosae Semen, Aucklandiae Radix, Lonicerae Flos,Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma, Menthae Herba, Mori Ramulus, Notopterygii Rhizoma et Radix, Evodiae Fructus, Amomi Fructus, Toosendan Fructus, Spatholobi Caulis, Pheretma, Sanguisorbae Radix, Arecae Pericarpium, Pogostemonis Herba, Peucedani Radix, Polygoni Multiflori Radix, Gentianae Rhizoma et Radix,and Belamcandae Rhizoma were determined by ICP-MS (Inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry).
The 80th percentile of each heavy metal in TCM lay in a range of 0.05∼22.57 ppm for Pb, 0.02∼1.71 ppm for Cd,<0.01∼0.17 ppm for Hg, 0.03∼1.88 ppm for As, and 1.93∼26.57 ppm for Cu, respectively. For TCM, the
limits of quantification of Pb, Cd, Hg, As and Cu were 0.05, 0.005, 0.03, 0.003 and 0.3 ppm, respectively. These survey data could provide the limitation assessment of heavy metals in raw materials of TCM for the regulatory authority.