At United Plant Savers, a growing herbal library and the Duke Archives preserve endangered plant knowledge, nurturing research, teaching, and ecological stewardship in a forest sanctuary.
United Plant Savers, founded in 1994, is a non-profit organisation dedicated to the conservation of native ‘at-risk’ medicinal plants. On a 360-acre botanical sanctuary in southern Ohio, United Plant Savers have a welcome centre, green house, gardens, plant propagation, seed bank, herbarium, over five miles of trails, and a glass house conservatory in the construction phase.
We offer both online learning, and in-person educational programs focused on forest farming, woodland botanicals, and plants in trade, as well as a deep ecology artist in residence program and herbal research library.
The herbal research library at United Plant Savers has evolved from humble beginnings into an extensive resource supporting knowledge and exploration in herbal medicine. Originally a small bookshelf inside a yurt, the library now boasts a comprehensive collection and online catalog allowing members to delve into a wealth of herbal traditions and insights.
What began as a modest collection serving visitors and interns has expanded dramatically over the years. This growth reflects the library’s commitment to fostering community engagement and providing enduring access to information about herbal medicine and related fields. The ever-growing collection is positioned to serve present and future generations, preserving the legacy and knowledge of herbal practices.
Special collections and archives
At the heart of the library is the Duke Ethnobotanical Archives (DEA), located at the welcome centre (1). This archive distinguishes itself by featuring materials on flora from around the world, including Duke’s alphabetised ethnobotanical files. These resources offer a thorough overview of global ethnobotanical research and studies, enriching the library’s offerings.
Jim Duke was a brilliant, dedicated, and humble botanist whose love of plants and people inspired thousands of scientists and herbal enthusiasts. He authored hundreds of articles and three dozen books, compiled botanical data for his “Nature’s Farmacy” database. He was a big supporter of United Plant Savers and loved coming to the sanctuary and teaching. Born in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1929, Duke earned his undergraduate and doctoral degrees at the University of North Carolina, then pursued postgraduate work in St. Louis, where he developed his lifelong interest in neotropical ethnobotany.
Duke’s career included significant work at the Missouri Botanical Garden, the USDA, and Battelle Memorial Institute, focusing on crop diversification and medicinal plants. He led USDA’s Medicinal Plant Laboratory and Economic Botany Laboratory, supported cancer research, and later established the Green Farmacy Garden at his home in Maryland. Duke retired from USDA in 1995 but remained active, receiving accolades such as the ACEER Legacy Award and being profiled by The New York Times. We are honored to have his library and archives at our Welcome Center at the sanctuary.
Notable contributions and diverse collections
The research library is further enhanced by several unique and significant collections. The John Staba collection provides early pharmacy textbooks, presenting historical perspectives on herbal medicine. Stephen Buhner’s collection invites philosophical reflection on plant wisdom, while our most significant donation has been David Winston’s extensive collection covers a wide range of eclectic medical traditions and modern herbal practices.
Cascade Anderson Gellar’s collection is the most recent donation and brings a focus on folk traditions and herbal knowledge from the Northwest and Central America, deepening the library’s diversity and scope. We have kept the library organised and searchable by the individuals who have created the collections, we see their stories just as important as the books themselves.
As the library started to grow, we had the opportunity to purchase the historic Brick House Apothecary, located in Pomeroy, about ten miles from the sanctuary. Pomeroy is a beautiful town that overlooks the mighty Ohio River. The Brick House has several rooms we can rent out to visitors or to host visiting scholars and artists. This is also where we have expanded the library collections.
Access and exploration
The entire catalog, containing over 4,000 volumes, is searchable online through the United Plant Savers website. Members are encouraged to visit, explore, and immerse themselves in the rich information available, opening doors to new insights and traditions in the field of herbal medicine.
Expanding public access and the Duke Archives
United Plant Savers is dedicated to increasing public access to our sanctuary by providing lodging options and sharing the medicinal knowledge cherished by the community. The welcome centre has the largest collection of Jim Duke’s prolific herbal writings and Peggy Duke’s botanical drawings, along with their notes, slides, files, and herbarium. This central location preserves and showcases their extensive research, making it accessible to all.
The Duke Library and future initiatives
Located at the centre, the Duke Library is curated in custom red oak bookshelves with locking glass doors, with additional materials stored in filing cabinets below. Plans are underway to catalog the slide collection, which features plants from the Amazon, Costa Rica, Appalachia, Maine, and other places. A small herbarium collection from Jim Duke and plants from the Sanctuary in Ohio is being curated as well. Looking ahead, we are planning a teaching garden and aim to announce ethnobotanical fellowship research opportunities.
United Plant Savers was founded at the International Herb Symposium, which was also founded by Rosemary Gladstar and United Plant Savers is now the organiser. We have curated the classes taught at the International Herb Symposium over the years, which is now at the International Herb Symposium Learning Center. It’s a wonderful resource to explore classes that can be purchased individually or in bundles.
Collaborations and the value of libraries in herbalism
International Herb Symposium and eclectic history
Last year, the International Herb Symposium took place in Cincinnati, Ohio, with a central focus on the history of the eclectics. Hosting the event in Cincinnati created a unique opportunity for collaboration with the Lloyd Library, an iconic institution known for its extensive medicinal book collections. This partnership highlighted the rich heritage of the eclectics and American herbalism, while also drawing attention to the often-overlooked aspects of conservation and social ethics from this influential period.
Library excursions and regional connections
The Lloyd Library and the United Plant Savers centre together offer a meaningful excursion into the heart of Appalachia, providing participants and visitors with direct access to the region’s deep-rooted traditions in medicinal plants and herbal practice.
Online resources and the magic of physical libraries
In addition to these physical centers, United Plant Savers actively supports resources like the World Herb Library, an online repository of scanned herbal books, and the Biodiversity Heritage Library, which provides free access to older herbal texts now in the public domain. While these online resources have made a wealth of information readily available, there remains something truly magical about being present in a library, physically holding a book that unexpectedly captures your interest.
Balancing online learning and hands-on experience
In our current era of online learning, it is important to maintain a balance between accessing digital knowledge and engaging directly with medicinal plants. Supporting gardens and centres that cultivate and preserve plant diversity is essential to sustaining the traditions and innovations of herbal medicine.
“If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.” ― Cicero
References
- Duke Ethnobotanical Library. United Plant Savers. Published April 2, 2025. Accessed January 12, 2026. https://unitedplantsavers.org/dukearchives/
