Meaning
A woody climbing vine whose root is dug, dried, and boiled to make a bitter tonic drink, prized in Jamaican folk medicine as a blood cleanser and 'back-strengthener'. Chainy root is one of the classic 'roots' — often combined with other barks and roots and sometimes bottled as a roots drink or tonic wine — reputed to build strength and vitality, particularly for men.
Examples
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Boil chainy root fi mek di tonic.
Boil chainy root to make the tonic.
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Chainy root bitter but it strong yuh up.
Chainy root is bitter but it strengthens you.
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Di roots man sell chainy root pon di corner.
The roots man sells chainy root on the corner.
Origin
From 'China root' (Smilax), altered to 'chainy'; a tonic root. See [[roots-tonic]], [[strong-back]].
How it’s used
A bitter tonic root, a classic 'roots' cleanser/strengthener. See [[roots-tonic]], [[strong-back]].