Dubbed "America's herbal laureate," James A. Duke received a Ph.D. in botany from the University of North Carolina and did postdoctoral work at Washington University and the Missouri Botanical Gardens, both in St. Louis. Following extensive fieldwork in the rainforests of Panama, Dr. Duke joined the USDA, where he played a leading role in the study of medicinal plants. Over the course of his 27-year tenure with the USDA, he interviewed thousands of traditional folk healers and scientists while compiling a comprehensive technical database of the medicinal compounds found in common and exotic plants. Now retired, Dr. Duke travels across the United States and around the world, spreading his message about the healing power of plants. He is an advisor to the American Botanical Council and several herb companies and author of The Green Pharmacy and Dr. Duke's Essential Herbs. He and his wife, Peggy, live in Fulton, Maryland, where he cultivates his own 6-acre Herbal Vineyard, home to hundreds of species of healing plants.