Chinese traditional medicine (CTM) containing realgar may contain high levels of toxic metals, such as arsenic, etc. The monitoring of trace elements, especially the harmful elements, is closely related to the quality control of the CTM. Three kinds of CTM containing realgar were digested by microwave method and electric heating plate method, and As, Hg, Cu, Cd and Pb were determined using ICP-MS and ICP-AES. In addition, this research determined the content of soluble heavy metals in the human gastrointestinal solution. The results showed that three kinds of CTM contained As of 24 350～68 627 mg·kg-1; Hg of 0.26～122 313.6 mg·kg-1; Cu of 2.04～6.95 mg·kg-1; Cd of 0.02～1.46 mg·kg-1; Pb of 0.42～40.60 mg·kg-1. In comparison, the contents of soluble heavy metals in the human gastrointestinal solution are: As of 81～618 mg·L-1; Hg of 0.34～216 mg·L-1; Cu of 1.08～215 mg·L-1, and Pb, Cd were not detected.