The safety of liquid-type herbal preparations (47 samples) and beverages containing herbal medicines (18 samples), which are distributed in Gyeonggi province was studied by analyzing heavy metals, benzo(a)pyrene, preservatives and sugar content and to explain the differences between medicine and food based on the labeling standards. The herbal preparation is regarded as medicine and can be differentiated from the beverages containing herbal medicine, which is food, based on the fact that the herbal preparation should be labeled with usage, dosage, efficiency and effect. The mean concentrations of Pb, As, Cd, Hg were found to be 0.014 mg/kg, 0.113 mg/kg, 0.004 mg/kg and 0.003 mg/kg in herbal preparation and 0.009 mg/kg, 0.122 mg/kg, 0.003 mg/kg and 0.002 mg/kg in beverages containing herbal medicines, respectively. In 10 cases of herbal preparations and 6 cases of beverages containing Rehmanniae Radix Preparata (Sukjihwang), benzo(a)pyrene was not found. According to preservative test on herbal medicine, dehydroacetic acid was found less than the indicated content in 6 cases out of 37 cases, which labeled with preservatives, and benzoic acid, dehydroacetic acid and methylparaben were contained with 164.0~198.0 mg/kg, 149.8~272.5 mg/kg and 88.4 mg/kg, respectively, in 3 cases out of 10 cases, which was not labeled with preservatives. Among 16 cases of beverages containing herbal medicines, 3 cases of preservative-labeled beverages had the preservatives, and the rest of all, which was not labeled with preservatives, did not show that they contain any preservative, therefore, it was suitable for the labeling standards. As a result of sugar content test, preservative-labeled products were not appreciably different from the others.