As a Certified Herbalist with over a decade of skin care formulation under my belt, I often get folks asking me for my skin care product and ingredient recommendations. My response is usually “how much time you got?” Because a real conversation about skin health and skin imbalances will take some time. How’s your diet? What supplements are you taking? What toxins are you exposed to on a daily basis? The conversation quickly leaves the skin’s surface and dives into the deeper story: your internal health.
While the external environment has a large impact on skin health, the health of your skin is closely tied to how well your body processes and eliminates internally. In this article we'll look at the liver-skin axis, which herbs support the skin through the liver, how to take them, and a simple liver-supportive juice recipe to start your day.
The Liver and Skin Connection
How are the liver and skin connected? Your liver is one of the hardest-working organs you have. It breaks down hormones and the everyday byproducts of metabolism, and it makes bile to carry waste out of the body. If the body doesn’t process and clear all this waste efficiently, it can show up on the skin. That's why traditional systems have long-linked skin imbalances to a sluggish or overburdened liver. This idea, now being examined in modern research, is called the "liver-skin axis."
Traditional herbalists have long considered the skin an organ of elimination, sometimes referred to as the 'third kidney,’ identifying it as a route the body uses to offload what the liver, kidneys, and bowel are processing. Modern lifestyle choices like a standard American diet and lack of exercise can back up these systems, which can be when skin imbalances start to manifest.
How To Support the Liver for Clear Skin
“Beauty from within” isn’t just a trendy marketing campaign, it is rooted in traditional practices that use herbs, supplements and diet to support the health of the liver to skin axis. The best herbs for the job are the ones that support liver function and elimination. We Herbalists identify the best herbs for liver health based on herbal actions.
Herbal actions are the specific ways an herb affects the body. Here are the 6 key herbal actions for liver health, and the herbs that carry them:
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Hepatic is the umbrella term for herbs that support the liver. Most hepatic herbs have a secondary action and are categorized as follows:
- Hepatoprotective: protects liver cells from damage. Herbs: Schisandra, Milk Thistle, Artichoke, Bupleurum, Burdock, Astragalus, Dandelion, Yellow dock, Ginger
- Choleretic: stimulates the liver to produce bile. Herbs: Aloe, Rosemary, Dandelion, Barberry, Turmeric, Artichoke.
- Cholagogue: stimulates the release of bile from the gallbladder. Herbs: Dandelion, Artichoke, Black Radish.
- Alterative: supports the body's natural detoxification pathways. Herbs: Burdock, Dandelion, Red Clover, Echinacea, Calendula, Figwort.
- Bitter: stimulates digestive and liver secretions. Herbs: Dandelion, Artichoke, Gentian, Yellow Dock, Arugula.
Many of these lovely liver herbs, including dandelion, artichoke, black radish, milk thistle, schisandra, arugula, and turmeric can be found in Cell Protector.
What is an Alterative Herb?
As an herbalist, alteratives are the herbs I reach for first when supporting skin imbalances that may have liver stagnation at their root. But the action is a bit mysterious and misunderstood. Their reputation as "blood cleansers" was coined by the eclectic practitioners of the 19th century and is still one of the most common descriptions of their action today.
The name itself comes from an old idea: that these herbs gradually alter the course of an imbalance, shifting the body back toward health over time. The "alter" refers to that slow change in the body's overall state, not to any single, specific mechanism. Rather than acting as a strong laxative or diuretic, an alterative gently supports the processes that move waste out, easing the load on the whole system.
As time progressed, herbalists proposed that alteratives work by supporting the body's channels of elimination, what they called the emunctories: the liver, kidneys, bowel, lymph, and skin. That elimination theory is where the "blood cleanser" reputation came from. When these channels keep up with the body's daily housekeeping, we tend to feel and look our best; when they fall behind, the strain often shows on the surface. That is exactly why alteratives sit at the heart of the traditional liver and skin story.
Beyond supporting elimination, many alteratives are deeply nutritive, rich in the vitamins, minerals, and trace elements that nourish the liver, and some even support the liver's natural ability to regenerate. The classic alteratives I always reach for include burdock, dandelion, yellow dock, red clover, and figwort. The one you will find in Cell Protector is dandelion, a gentle alterative that also supports the liver and bile flow, as a choleretic and cholegogue.
How Do You Take Herbs for Liver Health?
Liver-supporting herbs can be taken as teas, powders, tinctures, or capsules. My favorite is a roasted dandelion or burdock root tea, covered and decocted on low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, to start the day. Like most tonic herbs, they work gradually, so consistent daily use tends to support the best outcomes. Moreover, because of their tonic nature, they are safe for long term use, although use caution if you have an acute or chronic gastrointestinal imbalance, in which case I recommend working with a local herbalist or health care practitioner to determine safety.
In Western Herbalism, a traditional "skin from within" protocol would layer alteratives + hepatics + cholagogues, for example burdock + dandelion + artichoke. To learn more about which herbs are best for you, a deeper dive into herbal energetics is in your future.
Many of the herbs in Cell Protector are the ones I reach for to support the liver-skin connection, but its benefits go further. Selenium and polyphenols from turmeric, pomegranate, and ginger support the body's antioxidant defenses, while cruciferous sprouts supply sulforaphane, which activates Nrf2, the cell's natural defense against everyday oxidative stress. Supporting my skin is just one reason I include this formula in my personal daily supplement protocol.
Awakening Liver Juice Recipe
The sour flavor has long been linked to the liver across many traditions. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, sour is the taste associated with the Liver, and in Western herbalism, sour and bitter flavors are known to stimulate bile flow. I've always loved the way one of my teachers described it: the sour flavor helps wring out the liver like a sponge.
With this in mind, here is a beloved recipe that has been one of my favorite morning rituals for years, first learned in a course I took with Rosemary Gladstar. It's bright, sharp, and surprisingly smooth. It genuinely wakes up the system and is a gentle way to support the liver first thing in the morning. I've made my own version so many times I know it by heart.
About the Author
Meet Colleen Bingham, our Product Education Specialist and the herbalist behind this article. A Certified Herbalist and natural product formulator with over 15 years in the wellness space, Colleen taught for a decade at the California School of Herbal Studies and has a special love for herbal skincare, the very intersection this article explores. We're delighted to share her expertise with you.
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