The three medicinal herbs-Curcuma longa Linne, Paeonia japonica Miyabe, Scutellaria baikalensis George-irradiated with gamma rays have been tested for their possible genotoxicity. The methanol-soluble and water-soluble fractions of the 10kGy gamma-iradiated herbs were examined in the Salmonella typhimurium histidine reversion assy(Ames test) using S. typhimurium TA98, TA100 and TA102 as tester strains. No mutabenicity was detected in this assay with or without metabolic activation. The safety of the herbs irradiated with gamma rays at practical doses needs to be evaluated in further tests of genotoxicity in vivo and chronic and reproductive toxicity.