Dr. Duke has studied and lectured widely, concentrating on tropical ecology, medical botany, and crop diversification. While working on an encyclopedia of economic plants, Dr. Duke collaborated with the National Cancer Institute on both their AIDS and cancer-screening programs and their Designer Food Program (to prevent cancer).  Between 1990-1992, Duke advised the Designer Food Program of the NIH, then under the aegis of Dr. Herb Pierson.

On September 30, 1995, he retired after thirty years with the USDA, soon after becoming the CEO of a newly formed consulting firm, Duke's Herbal Vineyard Inc.; Dr. Duke also creates its newsletter, News from the Herbal Village. Dr. Duke has already doubled the data content in the interactive database he maintains as Director, Duke's Herbal Vineyard, Inc.; this database is especially useful for determining biological activities and healing potentials of food ands herbs. Dr. Duke’s widely used databases focus on the ecology, nutritional content, folk medicinal uses, and chemical constituents of economic plants.

Through his websites and databases Dr. Duke seeks to increase public awareness and acceptance of the use of alternative medicines in the United States, where, as in the Third World, an increasing percentage of the population can no longer afford corporate pharmaceuticals. As his major goal Dr. Duke’s attempt to promote alternative medicines is driven by his uncompromisable belief in the benefits of bringing the use of natural foods and nutritional approaches to preventive medicine.

WORLD TRAVEL AND OVERSEAS EXPERIENCE

CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA
In addition to an aggregate of more then five years spent in Central American countries (Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama) where his fluency in Spanish served him well, Dr. Duke has visited numerous Caribbean and South American countries also (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guadelupe, Jamaica, Peru, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela). In recent years, Dr. Duke has been very active promoting eco-tourism in Latin America and has taught various topics including the use and presence of renewable rainforest products in Amazonian Peru. In the course of his studies and travels in Latin and South America Dr. Duke has become an expert in the field of non-timber forest products.

ASIA, AFRICA, AND THE MEDITERRANEAN
In Asia, Dr. Duke has had lengthy stays in China, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, with shorter visits to Burma, Japan, Laos and Vietnam. In the Middle East, he has worked in Iran, Israel, Kuwait, and Syria, with visits to the Mediterranean countries of Egypt, Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain. His only tours in tropical Africa include Madagascar, Sao Tome, The Ivory Coast and Zambia. Besides the considerable prior world experience listed above Dr. Duke has taught field ethnobotany regularly in Amazonian Peru, Belize and Costa Rica (mostly in the winter) and in the Maine north woods (in summer only). In 1997, Dr. Duke has similar tours planned for Kenya and Uganda.

Complete List of Scientific and Health-oriented Journals and Periodicals

    ·  Alternative Medicine Digest
·  American Health
·  Business of Herbs
·  Complementary Medicine for the Physician
·  Diversity
·  Economic Botany
·  The Environmentarian
·  HerbalGram
·  Herbs for Health
·  The International Permaculture Species Yearbook
   The Journal of Alternative & Complementary Medicine
·   Journal of Optimal Nutrition
·   Journal of Aromatherapy
·   Mind-Body Connection
·   Natural Health
·   News from the Herbal Village
·   Organic Gardening
·   Wild Foods Forum

Bibliography

(1) Handbook of Legumes of World Economic Importance, Plenum Press, New York, 345 pp., 1981;         

(2) Medicinal Plants of the Bible, Trado-Medic Books, Buffalo, New York, 233 pp., 1981;

(3) CRC Handbook of Medicinal Herbs, CRC Press, Inc., Boca Raton, Florida, 704 pp., 1985;

(4) Culinary Herbs: A Potpourri, Trado-Medic Books, Buffalo, New York, 195 pp., 1985;

(5) Medicinal Plants of China (with E. Ayensu), Reference Publications, Algonac, Michigan, 2 vols., 705 pp., 1985;

(6) CRC Handbook of Proximate Analysis Tables of Higher Plants (with A. Atchley), CRC Press, Inc., Boca Raton, Florida, 389 pp., 1986;

(7) Isthmian Ethnobotanical Dictionary, 3rd edition, Scientific Publishers, Jodhpur, India, 205 pp., 1986;

(8) Handbook of Northeastern Indian Medicinal Plants, Quarterman Press, Lincoln, Massachusetts, 212 pp., 1986;

(9) Living Liqueurs, Quarterman Press, Lincoln, Massachusetts, 110 pp., 1987;

(10) CRC Handbook of Agricultural Energy Potential for Developing Countries (with A. Atchley, K. Ackerson, and P. Duke), CRC Press, Inc., Boca Raton, Florida, 4 vols., 1063 pp., 1987;

(11) CRC Handbook of Nuts, CRC Press, Inc., Boca Raton, Florida, 343 pp., 1989;

(12) Field Guide to Medicinal Plants, (with Steven Foster), a Peterson Houghton-Mifflin, Boston MA., 366 pp., 1990;

(13) Ginseng, a Concise Handbook, Reference Publications, Algonac, Michigan, 273 pp., 1990;

(14) CRC Handbook of Edible Weeds, CRC Press, Inc., Boca Raton, Florida, 1992

(15) CRC Handbook (and database) of Phytochemical Constituents of GRAS Herbs and Other Economic Plants, 654 pp., 1992

(16) CRC Handbook (and Database) of Biological Activities of Phytochemicals (1992),

(17) CRC Handbook of Alternative Cash Crops, (J. A. Duke and J. L. duCellier),

(18) CRC Press, Inc., Boca Raton, Florida, 536 pp., 1993;

(19) Amazonian Ethnobotanical Dictionary, (Duke and Vasquez), 1994; 

(20) CRC Handbook of Aromathematics, (Beckstrom-Sternberg and Duke), 1996.

Current Positions and Associations

 Dr. Duke belongs to the:

·        American Botanical Council (Trustee)

·        American Herb Association (Life)

·        American Society of Pharmacognosy,

·        Association for Tropical Biology (Life)

·        Council of Agricultural Science and Technology (Cornerstone Life Member)

·        Herb Research Foundation (Advisor)

·        International Association of Plant Taxonomists (Life)

·        International Society for Tropical Root Crops (Life)

·        International Weed Science Society (Life)

·        Organization for Tropical Studies (Life)

·        Oriental Healing Arts Society (Honorary)

·        Phi Beta Kappa

·        Sigma Xi

·        Smithsonian Institution (Collaborator)

·        Society for Conservation Biology (Life)

·        Society for Economic Botany (Life)

·        Southern Appalachian Botanical Club (Life)

·        Washington Academy of Sciences (Life)

Member of the Board of Trustees:

·        American Botanical Council (Director)

·        Biblical Gardens.com (Director)

·        Botanical Products International (Hakalau, Hawaii)

·        Microbotanica

·        The Scientific Advisory Team of Shaman Pharmaceuticals
      (San Francisco)

·        Medical Advisory Board of Herbalife (Los Angeles) 

Advisor or Consultant

    ACEER (Amazon Center for Environmental Education and Research)

·        Alternative Medicine Digest

·        American Health

·        The Center for Alternative Medicine in Women's Health (NY)

·        Center for Mind-Body Medicine

·        Center for Plant Conservation

·        Herb Research Foundation

·        International Expeditions

·        National College of Phytotherapy

·        Nature’s Herbs (Senior Scientific Advisor)

·        Reader’s Digest and Time-Life (Medicinal Plant Advisor)

·        Rodale Press

·        Rheumatology Unit (NIH)

·        Supplements/ Dietary Advisory Board (NIH, Bethesda MD)

·        Rosenthal Center for Alternative/Complementary Medicine

·        TRAMIL

·        The World Health Organization (Traditional Medicine Program ).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

A good biographical sketch of Dr. Duke can be found in the Sep/Oct-1991 issue of EastWest magazine. Additionally, The National Agriculture Library has a video history of Dr. Duke's career and his developments.