Modern Herbalist Co

Modern Herbalist Co Plant Medicine Health Clinic
Evidence based Herbal & Nutritional Medicine. Remedial Massage Therapy

PANS: When immune and metabolic dysregulation look like bad behaviourWhen a child’s mental health symptoms appear almost...
12/11/2025

PANS: When immune and metabolic dysregulation look like bad behaviour

When a child’s mental health symptoms appear almost instantly, within 24 to 48 hours, it’s importanr to take a holistic view of their behaviour.

Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS) occurs when infection, immune dysfunction, or metabolic disruption triggers abrupt changes in mood, behaviour, or cognition.

A child who was previously thriving may develop, within days:

Obsessive thoughts or compulsive behaviours

Regression in handwriting or an unexplained onset of inability to do their school work

Intense anxiety, depression, panic, tics or rage-like outbursts

New eating habits, particularly food restriction

New sensory sensitivities

These symptoms are not purely psychological; they reflect neuroinflammation, immune activation, and specific metabolic pathway changes caused by inflammation, blood-brain barrier disruption, and energy metabolism dysregulation within the brain.

Recent metabolomic research has shown that children with PANS exhibit distinct biochemical profiles compared with healthy peers including altered levels of neurotransmitter-related metabolites (tryptophan, glycine, histamine/histidine) and markers of oxidative stress, glutamine imbalance, and mitochondrial energy deficiency. These findings point toward disruption of the tryptophan–kynurenine pathway, linking immune activation and neuroinflammation with psychiatric symptoms.

Behavioural support for children, particularly from the age of 3 to puberty, we need to look at the whole picture and recognise when the immune and metabolic systems are driving changes in the brain to create this PANS behaviour

DOI:10.3389/fnins.2021.645267

ADHD and Herbal Medicine: Clinical InsightsADHD is a common neurodevelopmental condition that can persist across the lif...
30/09/2025

ADHD and Herbal Medicine: Clinical Insights

ADHD is a common neurodevelopmental condition that can persist across the lifespan.

Stimulant medications are considered the first-line treatment, but many people do not respond adequately or experience side effects that limit their use. This highlights the need for safe, effective, alternative evidence based approaches.

ADHD is defined by:
• Inattention – difficulty sustaining tasks, time-blindness, incomplete work or chores
• Hyperactivity – often an inner restlessness, discomfort, or sense of “racing”
• Impulsivity – acting without considering consequences

Symptoms can shift over time and are often complicated by mental ill health comorbidities.

In clinic, I am seeing a rising number of clients seeking support for ADHD symptoms. Many report persistent exhaustion alongside a sense of internal “racing.”

Two of the main herbs I use in clinic

🌿 Rhodiola rosea
• Adaptogen with mentally stimulating and emotionally calming properties
• Improves attention and endurance under fatigue
• Supports cognition, memory, and learning

🌿 Passiflora incarnata (Passionflower)
• Anxiolytic activity comparable to oxazepam or midazolam
• Reduces restlessness, irritability, and hyperactivity
• Has shown similar efficacy to methylphenidate (MPH) in paediatric ADHD, with a stronger safety profile
• Exhibits neuroprotective effects and may modulate serotonergic pathways, supporting mood regulation, calmness, and focus

Why herbal medicine?
It is not a one-size-fits-all approach. Treatment can be personalised to target each individual’s unique cluster of symptoms, supporting more sustainable and effective long-term outcomes.

Evidence-based herbal medicine offers a valuable adjunct in the treatment and management of ADHD.

🕊️ World Su***de Prevention DayEvery year, more than a million people die by su***de. Behind each number is a person, a ...
10/09/2025

🕊️ World Su***de Prevention Day

Every year, more than a million people die by su***de. Behind each number is a person, a family, a community deeply affected.
It’s a human tragedy.
Su***de is complex. For some, there are biological vulnerabilities, genetic factors and biomarkers such as interleukin-6 (IL-6) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) have been linked to increased risk. While depression and mood disorders can play a role, su***de does not only occur in people with depression. Isolation, poverty and financial stress and family breakdowns also contribute along with many other individualised factors. And many people live with the psyache of suicidal ideation, often invisible to those around them.

It’s also important to know that su***de is not always premeditated. The decision can sometimes happen very quickly and individual time lines can vary greatly. This is why creating environments of support and compassion matters, so that people feel they can reach out with the knowing they will not be judged or thought of as having a “break down “ 👎

Supporting someone doesn’t mean giving advice or trying to fix them. Often, listening without judgment and allowing their story to be heard is the most powerful thing we can do. It creates deep meaningful relationships.

Statistics also show differences across genders:
• Men are more likely to su***de.
• Women are more likely to attempt su***de.

In Australia, su***de remains one of the leading causes of death and with more vulnerable groups such as our LGBTI community and First Nations. That’s why days like today matter, because awareness saves lives. Open conversation reduces stigma. Reaching out can make all the difference to someone feeling unbearable pain.

If you’re worried about someone, ask them. Listen with compassion. Connection can be profound.

❤️Su***de is everyone’s business.

R U Ok day is coming up on 11th Sept 25.This campaign has been a great conversation starter and raising community awaren...
29/08/2025

R U Ok day is coming up on 11th Sept 25.

This campaign has been a great conversation starter and raising community awareness.

But what do you do if someone actually says no they are not ok?

You don’t have to be a professional to offer support.

❤️ You don’t have to fix their situation. Just listening non judgementally is a very powerful tool in offering support helping validate their lived experience
❤️ If you are worried actually ask them if they are thinking of su***de. Evidence shows that this does not make things worse, quite the opposite,it can often offer a sense of connection and relief
❤️Talking openly can give a sense of healing , grow friendships and save lives

As we get closer to RU Ok day and World Su***de day I will share more information and learnings I have come across in my studies.
Su***de is complex. It can be biological, economic, social isolation and many other contributing factors. It dosnt always have to be those with mental health.

Keep asking RU OK ❤️

Su***de is everyones business ❤️

📸 Apologies I am not sure who’s beautiful artwork this is to credit them

Why “Staying Cortical” Matters in Childhood Trauma and AnxietyRegulating the stress response is essential for healthy de...
19/07/2025

Why “Staying Cortical” Matters in Childhood Trauma and Anxiety

Regulating the stress response is essential for healthy development, learning, and behaviour, particularly in children with anxiety disorders, PTSD, or a history of trauma.
When a child is dysregulated, their brain shifts into survival mode. Instead of engaging the prefrontal cortex (the “thinking brain”), they operate from the limbic system, especially the amygdala, the part responsible for fear and the fight-flight-freeze response. In this state, the child is hyper-aroused, reactive, and unable to process new information, even if they are physically safe.
To support learning and emotional growth, we must help children self-regulate and stay cortical.This means helping them keep their prefrontal cortex online, allowing them to:
• Process and retain information
• Follow instructions
• Manage emotions
• Build relationships
• Make considered decisions

When a child is triggered, their brain may interpret a safe environment as unsafe due to past experiences. This is why co-regulation, repetition, emotional validation, and creating predictability are so important. Strategies like:
• Paraphrasing instructions
• Offering choices to build autonomy
• Using calming tone and body language
• Reinforcing that they are safe
To can help shift the child back into a regulated state where learning is possible.

Supporting cortical regulation doesn’t just improve behaviour and learning, it also helps reduce chronic neuroinflammation, and promotes neuroplasticity. These are critical for brain healing, emotional resilience, and long-term cognitive development, particularly in children recovering from early adversity and trauma

📸 Eschscholzia californica may one one such herb suitable to support mood regulation and reduce the stress response and be part of a strategy to build resilience to enable improved learning skills and cognitive behaviour

Important UpdateThe walk-in dispensary is now closed to the public and is available by booked consultation only.It has b...
14/07/2025

Important Update

The walk-in dispensary is now closed to the public and is available by booked consultation only.

It has been an honour to offer this free community service, supporting so many with their health over the years. Thank you, Port Elliot, for your ongoing support.

I love the valuable skills the walk in clinic has given me, to think on my feet as a practitioner, and aswell it has enabled me to develop and build trust within the community.

Though as I continue to grow the clinic, support more complex cases, and focus on my postgraduate studies in mental health and neuroscience, I’ve found the most effective way to provide care is through one-on-one, client-centred consultations.

Acute Support Still Available
For acute immune support for colds and flu, you can still order personalised herbal medicine from me, but now you can order it directly online, no paid consultation required.This includes herbal medicine support for children. All herbal medicines are formulated by me, made to order and posted directly to you. Go to the Online Herbal Dispensary via my website.

New: 10-Minute Herbal Support Calls
You can now book a 10-minute phone appointment if you need to adjust your formula or ask a quick question about your prescription.

If you’d like to continue working with me or transition from walk-in to clinic-based care, please book online.

Thank you again, and I look forward to continue working with you

Jane Burke
Modern Herbalist Co. 🌿

Did you know I specialise in telehealth consultations?Whether you’re based anywhere in Australia, managing chronic illne...
31/05/2025

Did you know I specialise in telehealth consultations?
Whether you’re based anywhere in Australia, managing chronic illness, supporting a child’s wellbeing (I’ve completed MAPS Paediatric Training), or navigating low energy and mental health challenges — telehealth makes it easier to get the care you need, from the comfort of home.

🌿 Compassionate, evidence-based care
🌿 Child and adult consultations available
🌿 Ideal for fatigue, stress, immune support, gut and neuroinflammatory conditions

📍Book easily online at modernherbalistco.com.au
Let’s get you feeling better — wherever you are.

💙MAPS- Medical Academy of Pediatric Special Needs. Is an advanced clinical training program for healthcare practitioners who support children with complex, chronic, or neurodevelopmental conditions.

Lifestyle Psychiatry and Naturopathic PrinciplesLifestyle psychiatry and naturopathic principles are closely linked. The...
24/05/2025

Lifestyle Psychiatry and Naturopathic Principles

Lifestyle psychiatry and naturopathic principles are closely linked. They both examine daily habits, such as movement, nutrition, sleep, and stress management, and how these affect mental health outcomes. Research shows that these behaviours are central to both the prevention and treatment of mental health conditions. Merging these two frameworks, I believe, will help with a better outcome for precision herbal, lifestyle and nutraceutical medicines, which can be better evidence-based prescribed, particularly for the individual along their own personal mental health continuum.

Lifestyle Psychiatry Research supports:

• Exercise helps prevent and manage depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, PTSD, and cognitive decline, now recognised in international guidelines
• Nutrition influences mental health via dietary inflammation; whole-diet approaches show stronger associations than individual food groups
• Sleep has a bidirectional link with mental illness and plays a role in treatment strategies
• Mindfulness, yoga, and nature-based therapies show promise to support the individual
• Combined interventions addressing sleep, diet, and activity show positive results in severe mental illness

And although it can be challenging to start incorporating these changes into daily life, you can now belive it will make an impact and improve overall quality of life 🙏

doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00597

I am taking a short winter break from the Herbal Dispensary and Shop so Fridays and Saturdays will closed until July. Ti...
22/05/2025

I am taking a short winter break from the Herbal Dispensary and Shop so Fridays and Saturdays will closed until July.

Time for me to drink lots of tea, have some time to wander the Adelaide Hills with SooTEA and focus on my post graduate studies: Masters Of Naturopathic Medicine and Grad Cert in Mental Health and Neuroscience: Translation Research which I am finding so beneficial for clinical application 🥰

You can still work with me.
The Clinic is Open and busy- please book online I have a few times available in the next couple of months.

Also, some changes to pricing for my Inital Western Herbal Medicine Consultation as of July 2025 will increase. This is to reflect my level of education, the depth of consultation, more closely align to Industry standards and to try and cover the unexpected substantial increase of rent and outgoings.

So if you have been wanting to use evidence based, personalised herbal medicine with an experienced practitioner, to help support your health now is a good time to start. Also to get on my books as next year spaces will become limited due to extra study commitments 🥰

See you in clinic 💙

The Herbal Dispensary is closed this weekend. Please contact Jane direct to pick up your herbal medicine prescription Ha...
15/05/2025

The Herbal Dispensary is closed this weekend. Please contact Jane direct to pick up your herbal medicine prescription

Have a lovely weekend 🖤

These are for the lovers of botanicals and all things alchemy. Available on the website 💙🤎Link in bio ...
27/04/2025

These are for the lovers of botanicals and all things alchemy.

Available on the website 💙🤎
Link in bio

I use Withania in clinic — but only when it’s clinically appropriate.That means the right dose, the right extract, and m...
17/04/2025

I use Withania in clinic — but only when it’s clinically appropriate.

That means the right dose, the right extract, and most importantly — the right person.

This herb can lower cortisol significantly but it’s not about throwing adaptogens at stress. It’s about understanding your thyroid, nervous system, and immune landscape first.

If you’re feeling wired, flat, or stuck in that post-stress fog — let’s figure out what your system actually needs.

DM me if you want to talk about your options.

Address

59 Hill St
Port Elliot, SA
5212

Opening Hours

9am - 2pm

Telephone

+61435894806

Website

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Lifestyle + Plant Based Medicine

I am a qualified specialist and passionate advocate of Western Herbal Medicine.

I have gained my Advanced Diploma Of Western Herbal Medicine. This qualification included studies in herbal medicine, physiology, clinical medicine, nutrition and pathology.