I actually came upon that fact the other way around -- I discovered that the word for the beverage is the word for orchid in Hebrew, so I was a bit surprised that they made a beverage out of orchids, rather than the other way around.

"Legal" is one of those words that doesn't exactly mean what it's supposed to in this part of the world. Most of the instant sahlav mixes don't contain much orchid flower, if any, but there are some that do, and there are street vendors who sell the real stuff. It's possible they're getting it from places other than Turkey, but I wouldn't be too surprised if they're made from Turkish orchids.

The real stuff is a bit different in texture, and somewhat is somewhat better in terms of flavor and aroma.