Jim Duke was an amazing botanist, ethnobotanist, teacher, and all-around human being. I had the incredible good fortune and great honor to teach a series of courses over several years (2002–2008) at his Green Farmacy Garden in Fulton, Maryland with him leading herb walks and providing custom-picked herbal soups periodically, in collaboration with Kathy Abascal and as arranged by her sister Holly Vogel (who at one time was Jim's head gardener).
Brief overview (his Tai Sophia now MUIH faculty biography):
James A. “Jim” Duke, PhD: As an economic botanist with a Ph.D. in botany from the University of North Carolina, Jim Duke had a 32-year career with the United States Department of Agriculture. While at the USDA, Dr. Duke developed the agency's Phytochemical and Ethnobotantical Databases. Today, Duke is a world-renowned ethnobotanist, owns and operates the Green Farmacy Garden, serves as distinguished lecturer in the Master of Science in Herbal Medicine program at Tai Sophia Institute, and continues to compile data on medicinal plants and update several of his 30 published books. Fluent in Spanish, Dr. Duke leads ethnobotanical trips to ecologically rich areas of the world. Duke is a Phi Eta Sigma and Phi Beta Kappa graduate of University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill), where he was elected distinguished alumnus some 50 years after his degree was conferred.
Brief overview (his Tai Sophia now MUIH faculty biography):
James A. “Jim” Duke, PhD: As an economic botanist with a Ph.D. in botany from the University of North Carolina, Jim Duke had a 32-year career with the United States Department of Agriculture. While at the USDA, Dr. Duke developed the agency's Phytochemical and Ethnobotantical Databases. Today, Duke is a world-renowned ethnobotanist, owns and operates the Green Farmacy Garden, serves as distinguished lecturer in the Master of Science in Herbal Medicine program at Tai Sophia Institute, and continues to compile data on medicinal plants and update several of his 30 published books. Fluent in Spanish, Dr. Duke leads ethnobotanical trips to ecologically rich areas of the world. Duke is a Phi Eta Sigma and Phi Beta Kappa graduate of University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill), where he was elected distinguished alumnus some 50 years after his degree was conferred.
Biography of Dr. Duke on Wikipedia. This includes an extensive listing of his numerous published books.
A Tribute to Jim from the Green Farmacy Garden website. (Free full text)
Jim Duke's Legacy from the Green Farmacy Garden website. (Free full text)
Very extensive biography from HerbalGram. (Free full text)
Obituary from the American Botanical Council. (Free full text)
Link to a New York Times story on Dr Duke. (Requires a subscription or log-in to view)
Obituary from the New York Times for Dr. Duke. ( (Requires a subscription or log-in to view)
Jim Duke's story from the Medicine Hunter. (Free full text)
A Tribute to Jim from the Green Farmacy Garden website. (Free full text)
Jim Duke's Legacy from the Green Farmacy Garden website. (Free full text)
Very extensive biography from HerbalGram. (Free full text)
Obituary from the American Botanical Council. (Free full text)
Link to a New York Times story on Dr Duke. (Requires a subscription or log-in to view)
Obituary from the New York Times for Dr. Duke. ( (Requires a subscription or log-in to view)
Jim Duke's story from the Medicine Hunter. (Free full text)
The 2005 Green Farmacy Garden seminar crew (from the left back): Agatha Thrash, Eric Yarnell, Jim Duke, (front row) Sharon Montes, Holly Vogel, Kathy Abascal
The 2007 Green Farmacy Garden seminar crew (from the left): Holly Vogel, Kathy Abascal, Jim Duke, Eric Yarnell, Sharon Montes
Jim applies poison ivy to his arm as Kathy Abascal watches. DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME.