Adding shakes did nothing but help me...I usually go to 5 shakes by the 2nd or 3rd day after i start cleansing..As for the herbs you should take, senna, turkey rhubarb, fennel, cascara sagrada, plaintain, barberry, fenugreek, etc...You dont have to take all of these but you should take at least 3..Natures way has a premixed combo called natural lax 2 which has most of these in it.