The ${gamma}$-irradiated medicinal herbs were examined the genotoxicological safety to consider the possibility of application of the irradiation technology for hygienic purpose. The three medicinal herbs -Glycyrrhigae Radix, Aurantii nobilis Pericarpium and Bupleuri Radix- were irradiated with ${gamma}$ -rays at the practical dosage of 10 kGy. The hot water extracts of the irradiated herbs were examined in two short-term in vitro tests: (1) Ames test in Salmonella typhimurium TA98 and TA100, (2) Micronucleus test in cultured Chinese hamster ovary(CHO) cells. In the Salmonella reversion assays both with and without metabolic activation, the number of revertant colonies was not increased with each extract from the irradiated herbs, compared with negative controls. No significant difference in formation of the colonies was observed between non-irradiated and 10 kGy-irradiated herbs. These results indicated that no mutagenicity of the irradiated herbs was detected. In the micronucleus tests in cultured CHO cells, the incidences of micronucleus were not increased with irradiated herbs, and no significant difference in the incidences was observed between non-irradiated and irradiated herbs. These results indicated that no cytogenetic toxicity of the irradiated herbs was detected. The results of the two in vitro tests suggest that the irradiated herbs do not show mutagenic effects and cytogenetic toxicity. Further tests of in vivo genotoxicity and chronic toxicity are needed to determine the safety of the herbs irradiated with ${gamma}$ -rays at practical doses.