The invention discloses a method for detecting the total heavy metal content in medicinal materials. The method comprises the steps of firstly, building a mold for detecting the total heavy metal content in medicinal materials, and obtaining an equation of a linear standard curve I and an equation of a linear standard curve II; then, determining a fluorescence intensity value of a reaction system after medicinal materials to be detected are mixed with an HEPES buffer solution and a fluorescence probe solution to have a reaction; substituting the fluorescence intensity ratio I450/I380 into the equation of the linear standard curve to obtain a metal ion concentration C value in the medicinal material to be detected; substituting the metal ion concentration C value in the medicinal material to be detected into the equation of the linear standard curve II, and obtaining the total metal content in the medicinal material. According to the method, the heavy metal ions in the medicinal material are combined with a fluorescence probe, and the medicinal materials are calibrated through fluorescence; by means of the advantage that the fluorescence probe is flexible and rapid in reaction, the total heavy metal content in the medicinal materials to is accurately detected, operation is easy and convenient and consumed time is short.