1 February 2010 / TODAY’S ZAMAN, İSTANBUL
While the use of the vaccine against the H1N1 flu, popularly known as swine flu, remained low in Turkey, fear of the epidemic resulted in people consuming herbal teas made from plants such as linden, thyme, salvia and Rosa canina along with foods believed to strengthen the immune system, such as pickled cabbage, creating millions of dollars of revenue for forest farmers.
The outbreak and rapid spread of swine flu around the world increased the sale of personal cleaning products along with herbal teas and foods boosting one’s immune system. Even though officials stated repeatedly that the vaccine had no side effects, the number of people who received the vaccine remained low, with only 6.21 percent of students vaccinated. Especially during the fall and winter months of last year, the sale of linden, thyme, salvia, Rosa canina and pickled cabbage surged in Turkey, the Anatolia news agency reported on Sunday. According to data from the Bursa Provincial Department of Forestry, forest farmers earned TL 4.5 million for the sale of 150 tons of linden, while earning TL 85,500 from the sale of 85 tons of thyme and 750 kilograms of Rosa canina. The farmers also sold other fresh or dried flowers, leaves, seeds or roots, which weighed around 6.5 tons.Osman Trak, head of Gedelek village in Bursa’s Orhangazi district, which is famous for its pickled cabbage production, stated that the increased sale of pickled cabbage brought in a significant amount of revenue for the village. He said the price of one kilogram of pickled cabbage increased from TL 1 to TL 5 since it is believed to boost the immune system against swine flu.
