The price of linden, an essential during winter, has doubled.

The winter essential linden has doubled in price. Last year, the price of linden, which was around 600-700 TL per kilogram, has risen to 1,500 TL.

As the weather gets colder, citizens suffering from colds and flu are looking for solutions in herbal shops, with linden being the most preferred option. Herbalist Muharrem Kan from Trabzon stated that there is a high demand for linden these days.

"THE REASON FOR THE HIGH PRICE IS THAT NO ONE HARVESTS IT ANYMORE"

Kan said, "Right now, the demand for linden is at a peak, but customers find the price of linden very expensive. The reason it is so expensive is that no one harvests it anymore. In Trabzon, there is almost one linden tree in everyone's neighborhood. In the past, our grandfathers planted them in gardens for both healing and pleasant fragrance. Nowadays, no one harvests it because it doesn't even cover a daily wage. Knowing that they can't collect a kilogram by the evening, no one bothers much. This year, linden is 1,500 TL per kilogram. Previously, it was 600-700 TL. As people living in villages gradually move to the city, the linden in those areas is not being harvested much. I haven't heard of anyone planting linden trees nowadays. The trees we have are all planted by our grandfathers. Collecting linden requires labor and is a laborious job; it's hard to collect even a kilogram by evening. Therefore, it doesn't pay off much financially. We generally sell linden in 50-gram bags for 70-75 TL. Last year, the same bag was 30-35 TL," he said.

HOW SHOULD LINDEN BE BREWED?

Kan emphasized that linden should be brewed like regular tea, stating, "In the past, linden was boiled on the stove for hours until it turned brown and then consumed. This is actually wrong. Linden should be brewed like regular tea. It should be consumed after waiting for a maximum of ten minutes. Lemon can be squeezed into linden, cloves can be added for a pleasant aroma, and a stick of cinnamon can be included to make it even more beneficial. When linden is consumed, it provides warmth and vitality to the body. Thanks to the warmth, a person who feels weak and exhausted feels stronger," he explained.