Meaning
A dark, bittersweet herbal tonic brewed from a mix of roots, barks, and herbs — sometimes fermented — and drunk as a strengthener and blood-cleanser. Roots drink carries a strong reputation as a builder of vitality and, above all, a booster of male stamina ('fi di back'), and it is sold bottled at the roadside and the market by the 'roots man'. Bound up with folk medicine and belief, it belongs with chainy root, strong-back, and sea moss among the tonics that promise strength, cleansing, and virility.
Examples
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Di man dem swear by a good roots drink.
The men swear by a good roots tonic.
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Him bwile up him own roots drink wid all kinda bark.
He boiled up his own roots tonic with all sorts of bark.
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Roots drink bitter but dem seh it good fi yuh.
Roots tonic is bitter but they say it's good for you.
Origin
From the roots, barks, and herbs it is brewed from; part of the Afro-Jamaican bush-medicine tradition, valued as a tonic and reputed aphrodisiac. Also 'roots wine' when fermented.
How it’s used
A traditional herbal tonic; recipes vary by maker. Reputation as a male strengthener.