Raising NAD+ Levels With Pau D’Arco “Milk”

One way to increase the levels of NAD+ in your body is to drink some Pau D’Arco tea. Or for an even greater impact, make a Pau D’Arco “milk” by combining it with some oil and organic turmeric powder.

The reason it’s effective is that the key active ingredient in Pau D’Arco is Beta-Lapachone.  Beta-Lapachone increases NAD+ in the body, but by a different mechanism than NR or NMN: it facilitates the conversion of NADH into NAD+. This article describes in detail how this process works.

Since Beta Laphachone increases NAD+ by conversion, it’s not a substitute for NAD boosters such as NR, niacin or NMN (which work by increasing the raw materials the body uses to make NAD), or fasting, HIIT exercise, or hot/cold contrast showers. We still have to have some NADH in your body to convert it to NAD+; NAD+ precursors give us those raw materials. Pau D’Arco should work well in conjunction with those supplements and interventions.

How to Make the Milk

1. Empty two capsules of Pau D’Arco powder into a glass of warm water.
2. Put someplace warm and soak oovernight.
3. Add 1-2 tablespoons of MCT oil or MCT oil powder
4. Add a teaspoon of curcumin or turmeric powder.
5. Blend for one or two minutes
6. Strain and drink.

There are lots of brands of Pau D’Arco to choose from. I use Mercola’s Paul D’Arco capsules because the powder in them is made solely from the inner bark of pink Lapacho trees, not the dead outer bark which some teas and supplements are made from, and because the Mercola line of supplements has a reputation for good quality control.

In addition to raising NAD+ ;levels, Paul D’Arco has anti-carcinogenic properties, and has been found to selectively kills some types of cancer cells without harming normal body cells. It has also been found to have anti-inflammatory effects. (Note: Before trying any new herb I recommend reading up on possible side effects,)

Photo credit: Image by S. Hermann & F. Richter from Pixabay