Inside My Daily Herbal Regimen
Bill Rawls, MD • July 2026
It might seem odd that a conventionally trained physician takes a regimen of herbs every day. It’s certainly not something that was taught in medical school. But it’s how I regained my health after years of chronic illness, and once I understood why it worked, I never stopped. Herbs have been a cornerstone of how I’ve stayed well ever since.
That understanding came from decades of study: reading the research, experimenting on myself, and watching what actually helped thousands of patients. What I take today isn’t one or two herbs, but a full regimen that works together, each one covering different ground so the benefits overlap and reinforce each other.
That might sound complicated, but it isn’t, and that’s largely thanks to the type of herbs I rely on.
The Framework I Build Around
The herbs I take daily are all adaptogens. That distinction matters. Much of traditional herbal medicine, like much of pharmaceutical medicine, relies on herbs with strong, drug-like effects that target a specific system to treat a specific symptom. St. John’s wort, valerian, and kava are good examples — each works by exerting a targeted effect on the body, which is also why each carries a real risk of side effects and toxicity.
Adaptogens work differently. Rather than forcing a specific effect, they protect cells from a wide range of stress factors. That gentler, broader mechanism comes with a real advantage: low toxicity. It’s what makes adaptogens safe to take consistently, day after day, for years, rather than something you cycle on and off.
It’s worth drawing one more distinction, between true adaptogens and adaptogenic herbs. True adaptogens directly help normalize stress hormones. Adaptogenic herbs don’t do that directly, but both categories build resilience the same underlying way: by protecting cells from stress. Protected cells function better, use energy more efficiently, and last longer. That adds up to the kind of steady resilience and stamina that’s the whole point of taking these herbs in the first place.
What I Take Every Day
Milk Thistle
I start here because it’s the herb I most wish more people knew about. We’re exposed to more environmental toxins today than at any point in human history, and your liver absorbs most of that burden. Over time, that exposure wears down liver cells, and as those cells burn out, your detoxification capacity quietly declines with them.
Milk thistle protects liver cells from that damage and promotes the regeneration of new ones. It’s one of the most well-studied liver-protective herbs in science, and I consider it foundational, since a well-functioning liver underpins everything else. It’s one of the key herbs in our Daily Multi Plus, which pairs a milk thistle extract with hawthorn and other antioxidant botanicals for daily liver and cellular support.
Hawthorn
Hawthorn has been used since Roman times for heart health, and modern science backs up the tradition. I started taking it in my early 50s for mildly elevated blood pressure and occasional irregular heartbeats. It didn’t work overnight, but over several years my blood pressure normalized and the irregular beats resolved, with no side effects.
Hawthorn works by restoring the health of blood vessels rather than forcing a number down. It improves blood flow, supports more efficient heart contractions, and has a gentle, normalizing effect on blood pressure. That’s why we include a hawthorn leaf extract in Daily Multi Plus, giving your daily multivitamin real cardiovascular support instead of just a basic nutrient checklist.
Reishi
Reishi has a two-thousand-year history in Asian medicine, and it’s one of the true adaptogens, meaning it directly helps normalize your stress hormones. It’s also one of the most well-researched immune-calibrating herbs available, easing harmful inflammation while keeping the immune system responsive to real threats.
I take it most evenings, often mixed into a smoothie. It has a pleasant, mildly chocolaty taste, and it helps lower the background stress that gets in the way of real recovery. Reishi mushroom extract is one of the core ingredients in our Adaptogen Recovery formula, which I designed specifically to keep the immune and stress-response systems working in tandem.
Cordyceps
Cordyceps is a true adaptogen, directly supporting the body’s stress response, and it pairs that with strong mitochondrial support. It helps cells use oxygen more efficiently, which translates into more sustainable energy and better physical endurance. It’s a natural complement to reishi, and together they cover a remarkable range of cellular needs. That’s exactly why we paired cordyceps extract with reishi in Adaptogen Recovery, so you get both herbs’ benefits in a single daily formula.
Chinese Skullcap
If I could only take one herb, this might be it. Chinese skullcap contains baicalin, one of the most studied antiviral compounds in science, with well-documented activity against a broad range of viruses and bacteria. It’s also strongly liver-protective and anti-inflammatory.
One more thing makes it special: it’s a potent synergist, meaning it increases the effectiveness of other herbs taken alongside it. In a well-built regimen, it quietly makes everything else work better. It’s the third pillar of Adaptogen Recovery, rounding out the reishi and cordyceps in that formula so the whole blend performs better than any single herb could on its own.
Turmeric
Turmeric is one of the most widely studied plants in the world. Its active compound, curcumin, is a potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant with well-documented benefits for joints, gut health, and cardiovascular protection. It’s one of the best-supported herbs in the clinical literature, with an excellent safety profile. I take a highly bioavailable turmeric extract as part of our Joint Care formula, which was built around the kind of absorption problems that limit a lot of over-the-counter turmeric products.
Boswellia
Boswellia comes from tree resin and has centuries of use in Ayurvedic medicine, primarily for joint health. It works by selectively targeting inflammation in joints and connective tissue, without the broad systemic effects of anti-inflammatory drugs. I take it alongside turmeric since the two work through different mechanisms and complement each other well, which is why our Joint Care formula pairs a standardized boswellia extract with that same turmeric extract in one blend.
When My Needs Shift
Rhodiola
Rhodiola is an energizing adaptogen. For me, it’s slightly stimulating, so I typically reach for it during demanding stretches: heavy travel, intensive work, anything that draws down my reserves more than usual.
I discovered it years ago on a skiing trip, heading up to elevations above 11,000 feet, a reliable recipe for altitude sickness at my age. I’d read about rhodiola’s ability to improve oxygen delivery to tissues, so I started taking it a few days ahead of time. No altitude sickness, and I kept up with the group the whole trip. I’ve reached for it ever since whenever I know I’m about to ask more of my body than usual.
For many people, it’s a great everyday herb. It provides just the right amount of stimulation to stay alert without feeling jittery, and it supports stamina at the cellular level along with the body’s ability to handle stress efficiently. It’s one of the five herbs in our Daily Herbal formula, which I built as an everyday foundation for exactly this kind of resilience.
Ashwagandha
Ashwagandha is a balancing adaptogen. Unlike sedating herbs such as passionflower or kava, it doesn’t work by inducing calm directly. Instead, it normalizes the body’s stress response, and cortisol is a key part of that. When cortisol runs chronically high, it suppresses the body’s ability to repair itself. Ashwagandha helps bring that back into balance.
That’s also why people tend to sleep better on ashwagandha: not because it sedates them, but because a normalized stress response makes it easier for the body to properly wind down.
I reach for it during periods of elevated stress or when my sleep needs support. I don’t take it every day, but it’s an important part of the toolkit. It’s the central ingredient in our HPA Balance formula, which uses a standardized ashwagandha extract alongside a couple of complementary calming ingredients for exactly these stretches.
When My Body Is Under Greater Challenge
During periods of greater microbial stress — heavy travel, early signs of illness, or when my immune system feels more challenged than usual — I add herbs with stronger antimicrobial properties, like Japanese knotweed and cryptolepis. These are adaptogenic herbs with potent, broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity, and they’re well tolerated even for regular use. Japanese knotweed shows up in our Advanced Biotic, and cryptolepis is one of the five herbs in our Biome Boost tincture, which I reach for specifically when I need that extra layer of microbial support.
My regimen isn’t fixed. It shifts as my needs change and as the science evolves, and that’s by design. Adaptogens share enough overlapping benefits that building on a solid foundation is easy and forgiving.
What This Means for You
You don’t need to worry about introducing each herb one by one. Because these herbs are low in toxicity and work with your body rather than against it, it’s perfectly safe to start with several at once. In fact, that’s often the most practical approach, since their benefits overlap and reinforce each other.
A good foundation for most people: daily cellular protection (reishi or cordyceps), liver support (milk thistle), and broad antimicrobial and synergistic coverage (Chinese skullcap). From there, you can add whatever your body needs most, whether that's joints, heart, stress, or cognition, without it feeling overwhelming.
If you’re dealing with something more complex than everyday stress and fatigue, a chronic illness that’s worn down your resilience over years, not weeks — a handful of herbs on their own usually isn’t enough. That's exactly what my herbal protocol RESTORE180 was designed for. It’s our most comprehensive program, and if you’re already on it, you’ll recognize a lot of what’s in my daily regimen: reishi, cordyceps, Chinese skullcap, milk thistle, and several other herbs covered here are woven through its six months, sequenced deliberately alongside diet guidance, health coaching, and community support to address gut health, nervous system balance, and immune function together, rather than one at a time. If you haven’t started it and suspect your health challenges run deeper than what daily herbs alone can address, it’s worth a look.
If you’re not sure where to start, our quiz takes about three minutes and gives you a specific recommendation based on where you are right now.
