TABLE 1.

Application of ICP-MS in the determination of heavy metal elements in medicinal materials derived from the roots of plants.

Latin name	Medical system	Therapeutic use	Main pharmacological effects	Origin of medicinal materials a	Test results
Achyranthes bidentata Blume	Traditional Chinese medicine	Amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea, headache, toothache, hematemesis, bleeding	Immune regulation, anti-fertility, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, analgesic, anti-osteoporosis, and anti-aging	—	The contents of rare earth elements La, Tb, Ce, Dy, Pr, Ho, Nd, Er, Sm, Tm, Eu, Yb, Gd, and Lu in A. bidentata Blume were determined. The content of Ce was the most and Lu was the least. The rare earth elements with a content of more than 100 ng/g (DW) are La, Ce, and Nd. La is 158.270 ng/g (DW), Ce is 448.698 ng/g (DW) and 129.608 ng/g (DW). Rare earth elements Pr, Sm, and Gd > 20 ng/g (DW). The contents of Eu, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, and Yb are 2.536–14.522 ng/g (DW). The content of Tm and Lu is lower than 1 ng/g (DW), Tm is 0.918 ng/g (DW), and Lu is 0.848 ng/g (DW) (Xu et al., 2008)
Aconitum kusnezoffii Rchb.	Traditional Chinese medicine	Arthralgia, cardialgia	Analgesic, anti-inflammatory, cardiotonic, anti-tumor, immune regulation	Sichuan, Xinjiang, Jilin, Shandong, Shaanxi, Anhui, Henan, Hunan, Guizhou, Inner Mongolia, and Hebei provinces or autonomous regions of China	The contents of Pb, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, and As, six heavy metals in A. kusnezoffii Rchb., prepared from different producing areas such as Sichuan, Shaanxi, Hunan, and Inner Mongolia were determined. The isotopes 208 Pb and 202 Hg were selected with 209 Bi as internal standard, 114 Cd with 115 In as internal standard, 63 Cu and 52 Cr with 47 Sc as internal standard, and 75 As with Ge as internal standard. Cd, As, and Hg in A. kusnezoffii Rchb. prepared from some producing areas exceeded the standard. The linear correlation coefficients of the six metal elements were greater than 0.9985, the average recovery was 83.99%–97.96%, and the RSD was 0.94%–2.66% (Hu et al., 2020)
Actaea cimicifuga L.	Traditional Chinese medicine	Headache, pharyngalgia, measles	Anti-virus, anti-tumor, regulating neuroendocrine function, anti-osteoporosis, and anti-inflammatory	—	The contents of Be, Al, Cr, Mn, Ni, Cu, As, Se, Mo, Ag, Cd, Sn, Sb, Ba, Dy, Hg, Tl, and Pb in A. cimicifuga L. were determined. The calibration curves of 18 elements have a good linear relationship, and the recovery meets the requirements of trace analysis (Xiao et al., 2013)
Anethum graveolens L.	Traditional Chinese medicine	Spasm	Analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antioxidant, anti-tumor, anti-diabetes	Bangladesh	The contents of Ca, Mg, Ni, Se, Li, Na, and Fe in A. graveolens L. were determined. Ca (23,600 mg/kg), Mg (7620.33 mg/kg), and K (1286.15 mg/kg) were the most important elements, followed by Ni (1187.30 mg/kg), Se (913.79 mg/kg), Li (317.84 mg/kg), Na (288.72 mg/kg), and Fe (206.88 mg/kg). Toxic elements are within the allowable limits (Saleh-E-In et al., 2017)
Angelica dahurica (Hoffm.) Benth. & Hook.f. ex Franch. & Sav.	Traditional Chinese medicine	Common cold due to wind-cold, headache, toothache, nasosinusitis	Antipyretic, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and antiviral microorganisms	Anhui province of China	The contents of Pb, Cu, As, Cd, and Hg in A. dahurica (Hoffm.) Benth. & Hook.f. ex Franch. & Sav. were determined. The linear relationship was good. The RSD value of the precision test was 1.99%–4.89%, the RSD value of the repeatability test was 1.31%–5.09%, and the average spiked recovery was 83.95%–103.13%. The contents of Pb, Cd, Hg, As, and Cu in 12 samples did not exceed the standard (Wang et al., 2015a)
Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels	Traditional Chinese medicine	Irregular menstruation, amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea, constipation, falling, and fluttering injury	Analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antioxidant, anti-senile dementia	—	1) The contents of Mn, Cr, Sr, Zn, Rb, B, Ni, V, Sn, Mo, Se, Co, Cu, As, Pb, Cd, and Hg in three different batches of A. sinensis (Oliv.) Diels were determined. The linear relationship of 17 trace elements was good in the range of 0.05–150.00 g/L, the correlation coefficient R was greater than 0.999, the detection limit of each element was 0.0018–0.1203 g/g; the RSD of precision, repeatability, and stability tests were not greater than 3.95%, 2.93%, and 3.42%, and the recovery was 96.67%–100.48%. A. sinensis (Oliv.) Diels is rich in Mn, B, Zn, Sr, Cr, Rb, and other essential trace elements for the human body, and the content of five heavy metal elements does not exceed the standard (Wang et al., 2019a). 2) The contents of Pb, Cd, Hg, and As in A. sinensis (Oliv.) Diels were determined. The recovery was 99.2%–102.4%, the RSD range was 1.01%–1.21%, and the detection limit was 0.005–0.018 μg·L−1 (Rong and Zhang, 2017)
Asarum heterotropoides F. Schmidt	Traditional Chinese medicine	Headache, stuffy nose, and runny nose caused by a cold	Antiviral, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-allergic	Liaoning, Gansu, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Jilin, and Heilongjiang provinces, China	Six kinds of heavy metals and harmful elements Pb, Cd, Cu, Hg, As, and Cr in A. heterotropoides F. Schmidt from different producing areas such as Sichuan, Shaanxi, and Gansu were determined. The contents of six kinds of heavy metals and harmful elements in Asarum from 12 different producing areas were quite different. The linear correlation coefficients of six kinds of heavy metals and harmful elements were greater than 0.998, the average recovery was in the range of 87.8%–96.0%, and the RSD value was less than 3.0% (Yi et al., 2020)
Astragalus mongholicus Bunge	Traditional Chinese medicine	Edematous, descensus uteri, diabetes	Anti-inflammation, immune regulation, anti-tumor, anti-stress, and liver protection	—	The contents of 27 inorganic elements of Li, Be, Na, Mg, K, Mn, Co, Se, Br, Rb, Y, Nb, Mo, Pd, Te, I, Cs, Pr, Nd, Sm, Gd, Dy, Ho, Yd, W, Tl, and Th in A. mongholicus Bunge were determined. The main discriminant elements are determined as K, Mg, and Na (Wang et al., 2012a)
Chuanminshen violaceum M. L. Sheh & R. H. Shan	Traditional Chinese medicine	Gastrosia, intoxication	Anti-fatigue and anti-oxidation	Sichuan province of China	The contents of heavy metals in 33 batches of C. violaceum M. L. Sheh & R. H. Shan from eight different producing areas in Sichuan, China, were determined. The amount of heavy metals in each sample of Chuanmingshen is Pb ≤ 0.256, Cd ≤ 0.235, Hg ≤ 0.123, Cu ≤ 3.963, and Cr ≤ 2.145 μg/g; As is not detected. Both are lower than the standards for raw materials and decoction pieces of medicinal plants in China’s green standard for the import and export industry of medicinal plants and preparations (Yue et al., 2016)
Codonopsis pilosula (Franch.) Nannf.	Traditional Chinese medicine	Coronary heart disease, hyperlipidemia	Anti-tumor, anti-oxidation, anti-inflammatory, anti-stress, and liver protection	Shanxi province of China	The contents of As, Hg, Pb, and Cd in C. pilosula (Franch.) Nannf. were determined. The correlation coefficient r of the measured elements and the standard curve were greater than 0.9992, the recovery was 96.5%–105.2%, and the RSD was less than 10.5% (Wang and Zhong, 2008)
Cynanchum bungei Decne.	Arabic medicine	Anti-tumor, antisenescence, hypolipidemia	Anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, antidepressant, and enhancing immune function	—	1) The contents of Al, Pb, Cd, and As in C. bungei Decne. were determined. The recovery of all measured elements was 86.1%–90.6%. The content of Al element is the highest, and the concentration range of Al is 156–1609 mg/kg. The content of Cd is the lowest, and the concentration of Cd is in the range of 0.01–0.10 mg/kg. The washing process reduces toxic elements in all plants. The average recoveries were Al (47.32%), As (59.1%), Cd (62.03%), and Pb (32.40%) (Brima, 2017)
					2) The contents of Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, and Se in C. bungei Decne. were determined. Fe level is the highest, and Se level is the lowest among all plants. The TE series levels of all elements in all plants are as follows: Fe 193.4–1757.9, Mn 23.6–143.7, Zn 15.4–32.7, Se 0.13–0.92, and Cu 11.3–21.8 μg/g. Calculated air intake of essential elements from medical plants: Fe 4.6–13.4, Mn 6.7–123.2, Zn 7.0–42.7, Se 0.14–1.5, and Cu 1.5–5.0 μg/dose (Brima, 2018)
Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch. ex DC.	Traditional Chinese medicine	Spleen deficiency, fatigue, palpitation, cough	Antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, immune regulation, anti-asthma	Gansu, Inner Mongolia, and Xinjiang provinces or municipalities of China	The contents of 25 metal elements K, Ca, Na, Mg, Al, Fe, Se, Zn, Mn, V, Be, Ni, Ga, Rb, Sr, Cs, Ba, Tl, U, Cu, As, Cd, Pb, Hg, and Cr in G. uralensis Fisch. ex DC. from different producing areas in Gansu, Inner Mongolia, and Xinjiang were determined. The average recovery of each element is 85.93%–109.82%, and the RSD is less than 5% (Zhao et al., 2017b)
Millettia pulchra (Voigt) Kurz	Zhuang medicine in China	Fracture, deficiency of blood, dizziness, insomnia	Regulate body immunity, reduce blood pressure and resist hypoxia stress injury	Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of China	Determination of five heavy metals in M. pulchra (Voigt) Kurz, the regression equations of Pb, Cd, As, Hg, and Cu were Y = 0.0130X + 0.0062 (r = 0.9997), Y = 0.0031X + 2.7982 − 4 (r = 0.9999), Y = 0.0089X + 4.5141 − 4 (r = 0.9999), Y = 0.0031X + 5.0726 − 4 (r = 1.0000), Y = 0.0985X + 0.0727 (r = 0.9999), and the recovery was 86.8%–96.3% (Bai and Hong, 2015)
Ophiopogon japonicus (Thunb.) Ker Gawl.	Traditional Chinese medicine	Insomnia, tumor, hyperglycemia	Protect cardiovascular system, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, anti-oxidation, anti-aging, and immune regulation	Sichuan province of China	The contents of Pb, Cd, Hg, As, Cr, and Cu in O. japonicus (Thunb.) Ker Gawl. in Fucheng, Sichuan Province, China, were determined. The linear relationship of each element is good, the correlation coefficient (r) is greater than 0.9990, the relative standard deviation of the precision test is less than 5%, the recovery is 91.8%–103.0%, and the detection limit is less than 0.01 mg/kg (Liu et al., 2017)
Paeonia emodi Royle	Unani	Antisenescence	Anti-aging	—	18 elements of Si, Cl, P, S, Sc, K, Ca, B, Ti, Na, Ni, Fe, Zn, Mg, I, Mn, Be, and Li in P. emodi Royle were determined. The concentration of Si was the highest (85.3 μg/g), whereas the concentration of Li was the smallest (3.0 ng/g) (Raish et al., 2016)
Panax ginseng C. A. Mey.	Traditional Chinese medicine	Tumor, cardiovascular disease	Anti-tumor, anti-oxidation, anti-aging, anti-diabetes, anti-hepatorenal toxicity	Jilin province of China	1) The content of metal elements in P. ginseng C. A. Mey. was determined, and the linearity of As, Pb, Cr, and Cd was 0–50.0 μg/L, Hg linear at 0–2.00 μg/L, Cu linear between 0 and 500 μg/L, the linearity of Al is 0–5 mg/L, the correlation coefficient is 0.9984–0.9995, the detection limit is 0.001–0.5 mg/kg, the recovery is 89.2%–104.6%, and the relative standard deviation (RSD) is 1.37%–5.61% (Wang et al., 2018c)
					2) The contents of Cr, Cu, As, Cd, Pd, and Hg in 53 samples collected from 10 major P. ginseng C. A. Mey. planting counties and regions in Jilin Province, China, were determined. The contents of heavy metals in ginseng samples were Cr ≤ 2.069, Cu ≤ 19.0619, As ≤ 0.0818, Cd ≤ 0.2160, and Pb ≤ 0.8501 μg/g; Hg is not detected (Chi et al., 2018)
Panax notoginseng (Burkill) F.H.Chen	Traditional Chinese medicine	Hypertension, traumatic injury	Anti-tumor, hypolipidemic, anti-anxiety, anti-oxidation, anti-aging	—	The contents of Cu, As, Cd, Hg, and Pb in P. notoginseng (Burkill) F.H.Chen were determined. The linear coefficient of the five elements in their respective linear range is r > 0.9995, the recovery is 92.5%–96.6%, and the RSD of the six repeatability tests is ≤ 4.38% (Xu, 2012)
Panax quinquefolius L.	Traditional Chinese medicine	Cardiovascular diseases	Antioxidant, anti-tumor, anti-aging, and immune regulation	—	The contents of Mn, Cr, Sr, Zn, Rb, B, Ni, Cu, V, Sn, As, Mo, Se, and Co in P. quinquefolius L. and garden cultivated American ginseng were determined. The linear ranges of element detection mass concentrations were 0.1–500 (r = 0.9998), 0.5–500 (r = 0.9999), 0.1–500 (r = 0.9999), 0.5–500 (r = 0.9999), 0.5–500 (r = 0.9999), \ 0.5–500 (r = 0.9999), 0.1–200 (r = 0.9999), 0.5–500 (r = 0.9999), 1–500 (r = 0.9999), 0.1–500 (r = 0.9998), 0.1–200 (r = 0.9998, 0.5–500 (r = 0.9999), 0.1–200 (r = 0.9998), 0.5–500 (r = 0.9999), and 0.1–500 μg/L (r = 0.9999): the quantitation limits are less than 0.60 μg/L and the detection limits are less than 0.20 μg/L. RSD was less than 3%. The recovery was 97.08%–106.65% (RSD was 0.64%–2.33%, n = 9) (Lin et al., 2018)
Pseudostellaria heterophylla (Miq.) Pax	Traditional Chinese medicine	Inappetence, cough	Anti-inflammation, anti-tumor, anti-oxidation, hypoglycemic, immune regulation	Fujian province of China	The contents of Mg, Ca, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, and Se in P. heterophylla (Miq.) Pax from Zherong County, Fujian province, China, were determined. The recoveries of each element were 92.11%–107.51%, and the RSD was less than 5.0% (Tao, 2019)
Pueraria montana var. thomsonii (Benth.) M. R. Almeida	Traditional Chinese medicine	Heartache, stroke hemiplegia	Antipyretic, analgesic, and anti-inflammatory	—	The contents of 17 trace elements As, Be, Cd, Co, Cu, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Sb, Se, Ti, Tl, V, Cr, and Zn in stewed P. montana var. thomsonii (Benth.) M. R. Almeida were determined. The linear relationship of trace elements is good, r = 0.9990–0.9999, the detection limit is 0.000493–0.369619 ng/ml, and the recovery is 96.6%–101.9% (Chen et al., 2019a)
Pueraria edulis Pamp.	Traditional Chinese medicine	Measles	Anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidation, anti-tumor, anti-diabetes	Anhui, Guangxi, Hunan, Henan, Hebei, Zhejiang, Sichuan, Guizhou, Jiangxi, and Hubei provinces or autonomous regions of China	The contents of Cr, Ni, As, Cd, Pb, and Hg in 20 batches of P. edulis Pamp. were determined. The average content of heavy metals in P. edulis Pamp. is Cr (3.28 mg/kg), Ni (1.83 mg/kg), As (0.31 mg/kg), Cd (0.23 mg/kg), Pb (1.85 mg/kg), and Hg (0.07 mg/kg). The contents of Cr, Pb, and Ni in P. edulis Pamp. from different producing areas and different batches are quite different, whereas the contents of As, Hg, and Cd are not different. The average content of Cr is the highest, and the average content of Hg is the lowest. The total amount of Pb, As, and heavy metals in each sample meets the current standards (Zhong et al., 2014)
Rehmannia glutinosa (Gaertn.) DC.	Traditional Chinese medicine	Hematemesis, swelling, and pain in the throat	Antibacterial, anti-tumor, anti-gastric ulcer, anti-aging	—	The contents of Ca, Cr, Fe, Al, Zn, Ni, Ti, Cu, Mn, Rb, Pb, Sn, Co, and Mo in raw and cooked R. glutinosa (Gaertn.) DC. were determined. The order of metal element content in R. glutinosa (Gaertn.) DC. from high to low is Ca > Cr > Fe > Al > Zn > Ni > Ti > Cu > Mn > Rb > Pb > Sn > Co > Mo. The recoveries of Pb, Cu, Mn, Ni, Ti, and Zn were 87.2%, 106.8%, 96.5%, 89%, 80.4%, and 108.6%, respectively. The contents of Ca, Fe, Al, Zn, and Cu in cooked R. glutinosa (Gaertn.) DC. are high (Wang et al., 2009)
Reynoutria japonica Houtt.	Traditional Chinese medicine	Amenorrhea, traumatic injury, cough, constipation	Antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, anti-tumor, improving Alzheimer’s disease	Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of China	The contents of 28 elements Li, B, Na, Mg, Al, K, Ca, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Sr, Mo, Ag, Cd, Sn, Sb, Ba, Tl, Pb, and Bi in R. japonica Houtt. were determined. The detection limit of each element is 0.01–0.8 μg/L, the standard deviation is 0.11%–2.57%, and the recovery is 94.00%–110.00% (Duan et al., 2012a)
Reynoutria multiflora (Thunb.) Moldenke	Traditional Chinese medicine	Dizziness, constipation	Anti-aging, anti-tumor, hypolipidemic, anti-atherosclerotic	Henan, Shaanxi, Gansu, Anhui, Sichuan, Hubei, Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi, and Guangdong provinces or autonomous regions of China	1) The contents of Mg, K, Ca, Na, Al, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Zn, Rb, Sr, Ba, Li, Be, Sc, V, Co, Ga, Ge, Se, Y, Nb, Cs, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, Tl, and Th in R. multiflora (Thunb.) Moldenke were determined. The linear correlation coefficients of the standard curve were greater than 0.95, and the average recovery was 88.9%–119.2%, RSD < 12%. The contents of K, Ca, Mg, Al, and Fe in 49 batches of R. multiflora (Thunb.) Moldenke samples were the highest, all of which were more than 100 mg/kg. The average contents of Be, Sc, Ge, Eu, Tb, Ho, Tm, Yb, and Lu are lower, all less than 0.02 mg/kg (Yang et al., 2019)
					2) The contents of 24 elements K, Fe, Al, Mg, Ca, P, Sn, As, Zs, Sb, Pb, Co, Cd, Ni, Ba, B, Si, Hg, Mn, Cr, V, Cu, Be, Na, and Sr in 33 samples of R. multiflora (Thunb.) Moldenke from different producing areas such as Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, Jiangsu, and Hubei were determined. The amount of Fe, Mg, Ca, and P is high (Luo et al., 2015b)
Rhodiola rosea L.	Traditional Chinese medicine	Heartache, stroke hemiplegia	Anti-inflammation, anti-oxidation, anti-fatigue, and anti-cancer	—	The contents of 13 inorganic elements Na, Mg, Al, K, Ca, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, and Pb in R. rosea L. were determined. The elements with higher mass fractions in R. rosea L. are Ca, K, and Mg, whereas the mass fractions of As and Pb are lower than the industry standard (Wang and Zhang, 2013)
Rosa laevigata Michx.	Traditional Chinese medicine	Spermatorrhea, enuresis, diarrhea, uterine prolapse	Anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, anti-tumor, and immune regulation	Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of China	The contents of 22 metal elements Al, Fe, Cu, Pb, As, Cd, Cr, Ni, V, Sb, Sn, Tl, Ag, B, Ba, Co, Mn, Mo, Se, Sr, Ti, and Zn in 45 batches of R. laevigata Michx. roots in Guangxi were determined. The content of Al element is high, Pb ≤ 5.0, Cd ≤ 0.3, Hg ≤ 0.2, Cu ≤ 20.0, and As ≤ 2.0 mg·kg−1, all within the standard limit (Wei et al., 2021)
Rubia cordifolia L.	Traditional Chinese medicine	Inflammation, tumor	Anti-inflammation, anti-tumor, anti-infection, neuroprotection	Shanxi province of China	The contents of Cu, Mn, Cr, Zn, Cd, Fe, Pb, Hg, and As in wild R. cordifolia L. from different habitats in Shaanxi, China, were determined. There are differences in the contents of heavy metals in wild R. cordifolia L. from different producing areas. The contents of Cu, Cd, Pb, Hg, and As are lower than the limit standard of heavy metals (Peng et al., 2018)
Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge	Traditional Chinese medicine	Irregular menstruation, insomnia, stenocardia	Anti-inflammatory, antidepressant, anti-tumor, anti-fibrosis, anti-hepatitis B virus	Anhui province of China	1) The contents of Pb, Cd, As, Hg, and Cu in S. miltiorrhiza Bunge were determined. The correlation coefficients r of the standard curves of five heavy metals were 0.9992, 0.9995, 0.9997, 0.9994, and 0.9991, respectively, and the recoveries were 91.1%–102.5%(Li et al., 2016a)
					2) The detection limit of Pb, Cd, As, Cu, and Hg in S. miltiorrhiza Bunge in Anhui ancient city of China was 0.006–0.072 μg/L, and the linear relationship was r > 0.954. The recovery was 91.53%–100.59% (RSD < 4.97%) (Jin et al., 2018)
Sargentodoxa cuneata (Oliv.) Rehder & E. H. Wilson	Traditional Chinese medicine	Amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea	Antibacterial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, immunosuppressive	Hunan, Anhui, and Zhejiang provinces of China	Determination of 23 elements Na, Mg, Al, K, Ca, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Rb, Ag, Cd, CS, Ba, Hg, and Pb in S. cuneata (Oliv.) Rehder & E. H. Wilson in Hunan, Anhui, and Zhejiang provinces of China. For the measured elements, the correlation coefficient of the standard curve is r > 0.9987, and the relative standard deviation of the method accuracy experiment is RSD < 9.1% (Liu et al., 2013)
Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi	Traditional Chinese medicine	Jaundice, cough	Antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular protection, anti-organ fibrosis	Beijing and Jiangsu, Heilongjiang, Gansu, Shandong, Shanxi, Hebei, and Shaanxi provinces or municipalities of China	The contents of 23 inorganic elements Al, As, B, Ba, Be, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ga, Hg, Li, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sb, Sn, Sr, Ti, Tl, V, and Zn in 35 batches of S. baicalensis Georgi stems and leaves from eight producing areas were determined. The contents of Al and Fe are the highest, followed by B, Ti, Mn, Sr, and Ba (Yan et al., 2018)
Sophora tonkinensis Gagnep.	Traditional Chinese medicine	Toothache, cough, jaundice, constipation, hemorrhoids	Anti-inflammation, anti-tumor, liver protection, and immunity enhancement	Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of China	The contents of heavy metals Zn, Ba, Cu, Cr, Ni, Pb, As, Sb, Co, Cd, Sn, Ti, Bi, and Hg in the roots of S. tonkinensis Gagnep. in Guangxi, China, were determined. The detection limit is 0.0014–0.4241 Lg·L−1, the recovery is 91.3%–106.5%, and the RSD value is 0.43%–3.07%. The contents of heavy metals in the roots of kidney beans from different producing areas were basically consistent: Zn > Ba > Cu > Cr > Ni > Pb > As > Sb > Co > Cd > Sn > Tl > Bi > Hg (Gu et al., 2013)
Stellera chamaejasme L.	Traditional Chinese medicine	Tumor, lymphonodus, psoriasis	Anti-cancer, anti-leukemia, antibacterial and antiviral	—	The contents of 12 trace elements A1, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Cd, Ba, Hg, and Pb in S. chamaejasme were determined. There was no significant difference in the contents of 12 elements, but the contents of Mn, Zn, Ba, and Pb in E. chamaejasme were significantly higher than those in E. lunata (Yan et al., 2012)
Talinum paniculatum (Jacq.) Gaertn.	Traditional Chinese medicine	Metrorrhagia, hemorrhage	Antioxidant	—	The contents of Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, Ba, Co, Ni, and Cd in T. paniculatum (Jacq.) Gaertn. were determined. The linearity of Mn, Cu, Zn, Ba, Co, and Fe is 0–500 μg/L, Ni and Cd are linear at 0–100 μg/L, the linear correlation coefficient is 0.9847–0.9999, and the detection limit is 0.0007–0.02 mg/kg. The RSD of reference materials is between 4.45% and 9.13% (Guo et al., 2013)
Tetrastigma hemsleyanum Diels & Gilg	Traditional Chinese medicine	Bronchitis, pneumonia, pharyngitis, hepatitis	Antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, and anti-liver injury	Zhejiang, Guangxi, Guizhou, Fujian, and Yunnan provinces or autonomous regions of China	The contents of Pb, Cd, As, Hg, and Cu in T. hemsleyanum Diels & Gilg from different producing areas in Zhejiang, Guangxi, and Guizhou provinces were determined. Pb ≤ 4.1677, Cd ≤ 0.1946, As ≤ 0.4550, Hg ≤ 0.0424, and Cu ≤ 7.8925 mg/kg (Wang et al., 2020a)
Trichosanthes kirilowii Maxim.	Traditional Chinese medicine	Cough	Anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral, and hypoglycemic	Anhui province of China	The contents of 12 trace elements Pb, Cd, As, Hg, Cu, Mg, Cr, Mn, K, Se, Sr, and Fe in T. kirilowii Maxim. from different producing areas in the Anhui province of China were determined. The contents of Pb, Cd, As, Hg, Cu and other five heavy metals in trichosanthin from Bozhou and Anguo in Anhui province are lower than the values specified in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia. There were significant differences in the contents of K, Mn, Mg, Sr, and other elements in T. kirilowii Maxim. between the two producing areas (Gong et al., 2018)

^aNote: the origin of medicinal materials recorded in the table is collected from the articles.

If the origin of medicinal materials is not recorded in the articles, it is indicated by “—.”