Salep, whose scientific name is orchis, is used to stimulate patients during their recovery. The beverage produced acts against dysentery and dry coughs with inflammations. It can be a useful aid during the outbreak of seasonal flu.

It is made from the roots of the plant that was known in the Greek region and the eastern Mediterranean, and belongs to the Orchid family.

Notably, it was also attributed with aphrodisiac properties, which is why it has passed into folk tradition as "sernikobotano" (love herb).