Elderflower probiotic soda

Elder tree branches 接骨木 is great for rheumatic arthritis, and difficult urination in Chinese medicine.

Elderflower is used for swollen sinuses (sinusitis), colds, influenza (flu), swine flu, bronchitis, diabetes, and constipation. It is also used to increase urine production as a diuretic, to increase sweating as a diaphoretic, and to stop bleeding.

Ingredients

1. 6 fluffy cups of elderflowers, remove the thickest stems. (The thick stems of American varieties are considered toxic)
2. 1/2 gallon of filtered or fresh water. This is fairly flexible.
3. 1/2 cup of sugar, or local raw honey or evaporated cane juice.
4. 1/4 cup of Whey. You can get this by just draining some off of your yogurt.
5. one lemon

Instruction:

• Rinse flowers in a large bowl
• Boil some water, and pour it over your flowers, enough to cover them completely. 
•  Cover the flowers and water with a dishtowel and leave to steep for 24 hours or up to 48 hours.
• Strain out the flowers and save the elderflower tea.
• Add the juice of one lemon into your tea, and add sweetener of your choice. The sugars here will be digested to make the fizz, so you want it a bit sweeter than your end product. 
•  Pour all of this liquid into a glass container or demijohn, and add a couple tablespoons of whey. Cover loosely, and put it in your cupboard.
• Wait. Taste. Wait. When it’s a barely sweeter than you want your final product, pour the soda into swing-top (grolsch-style) bottles and let it sit for another day or two, to develop some good fizz. Leave some room at the top or it could explode otherwise. Don't shake.

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