The contents of arsenic(As), mercury(Hg) and selenium(Se) in Gynostemma pentaphyllum and rhizospheric soil samples collected from seven provinces were determined, through the optimization of the hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry working conditions. The results show that: the contents of As, Hg and Se in Gynostemma pentaphyllum from seven provinces revealed large differences, but compared with the limits of the two kinds of heavy metal element: As and Hg set by the Green Trade Standards of Importing & Exporting Medicinal Plants & Preparations (As≤2.0 mg·kg-1，Hg≤0.2 mg·kg-1), the As and Hg contents in Gynostemma pentaphyllum samples are both lower than them. The Se content in Gynostemma pentaphyllum samples and in rhizospheric soil samples revealed significant correlation, and as a result, the Gynostemma pentaphyllum from the Fu Xi area Enshi in Hu Bei province had obviously higher Se content than others in the 6 provinces. From this study, a preliminary conclusion can be drawn that Se in Gynostemma pentaphyllum is mainly from the soil, moreover, the As and Hg show the difference from Se, possibly they are still affected by the dry and wet deposition of atmospheric aerosols.