Abstract: OBJECTIVE To establish a rapid detection method of sulfur dioxide residue in Chinese medicinal materials. METHODS Sulfur dioxide was extracted by two different methods from the samples and then detected by the test kit. For the colorless sample, sulfur dioxide was extracted with aqueous alkyl after 30 min sonication. For the dark color sample, sulfur dioxide was extracted with distillation. RESULTS The linearity of SO2 ranged 1-12 mg(r=0.999). The limit of detection was 0.21 mg. For the sonication method, the RSD was 1.0%. Recoveries of spiked samples varied from 91.2% to 95.4%. For the distillation method, the RSD was 1.3%. Recoveries of spiked samples varied from 90.3% to 98.2%. Thirty-six different herbal samples were detected. The present method produced similar results compared to the Chinese Pharmacopoeia analysis. CONCLUSION The rapid detection method is simple, rapid, sensitive, accurate, and economical. It’s applicable to the traditional Chinese medicine enterprises and the regulatory authorities.