🌿 Chaney Root (Smilax balbisiana)

Also known as: Jamaican Sarsaparilla • Iron Root • Strong Back Root
Family: Smilacaceae
Origin: Native to Jamaica and other parts of the Caribbean
Parts used: Dried root
Primary use: Internal

✨ Description

Rich, earthy, and deeply restorative, Chaney Root is one of Jamaica’s most prized traditional tonics — a powerful blood builder and vitality booster used for centuries in Caribbean herbal medicine.

Revered for its ability to strengthen the body, purify the blood, and restore stamina, this wild root is often combined with other island tonics such as Sarsaparilla, Medina, and Strong Back to create rejuvenating “roots tonics” that promote endurance, energy, and virility.

Bitter yet mineral-rich, Chaney Root is cherished for helping the body recover from fatigue, improving circulation, and promoting healthy sexual and reproductive function in both men and women.

🍵 Dried Herb Uses

As a restorative and cleansing tonic:

Blood Builder & Purifier: Helps strengthen and oxygenate the blood while removing internal waste.
Energy & Stamina Support: Naturally boosts energy levels, endurance, and vitality.
Sexual Health: Traditionally used as an aphrodisiac and tonic for hormonal balance and fertility.
Joint & Circulatory Health: Promotes healthy circulation and relieves inflammation or stiffness.
Recovery Tonic: Used after illness or fatigue to rebuild strength and restore vigor.

Directions (Internal Use):
Simmer 1 tablespoon of dried root in 16 oz of water for 20–30 minutes.
Strain and drink 1 cup daily as a tonic.
For stronger traditional blends, combine with Sarsaparilla, Medina, or Strong Back and sweeten lightly with molasses or honey.

💧 External Uses

Use as a bath or soak to stimulate circulation and relax sore muscles.
Incorporate decocted root water into skin tonics for its trace minerals and purifying effects.

🔮 Metaphysical & Energetic Uses

Strength & Vitality: Represents physical power, endurance, and resilience — often used in spiritual baths for strength and grounding.
Masculine Energy: Balances root chakra energy and supports confidence and passion.
Protection & Prosperity: Symbolizes inner fortitude, growth, and restoration after struggle.

Affirmation:

“I am strong, grounded, and renewed — my strength flows from the roots of the earth.”

🌿 Pairing Suggestions

Jamaican Sarsaparilla – for a stronger blood purifier and tonic.
Strong Back or Medina – for vitality and stamina blends.
Burdock or Dandelion Root – for deep cleansing and liver support.
Ginger or Cinnamon – for warmth and improved circulation.

🌼 Harvest & Sourcing

Our Chaney Root is wild-harvested from the hills of Jamaica, where it grows deep in the red clay and limestone-rich soils that give it its mineral potency.
After harvest, the roots are washed, sliced, and slow-dried in the shade, preserving their earthy aroma and restorative strength.

⚖️ Energetics & Taste

Taste: Earthy, bitter, and slightly sweet when decocted.
Energetic profile: Warming, strengthening, and grounding.
Pairs well with: Sarsaparilla, Medina, Strong Back, and Ginger.

⚠️ Warnings

Not recommended during pregnancy or breastfeeding.
Avoid excessive use if taking blood pressure or diabetes medications.
Use moderately in tonic blends and take breaks between cycles.

🌻 A Note from the Herbalist

Chaney Root carries the deep rhythm of the Caribbean earth — slow, strong, and full of life.
It cleanses what’s heavy, builds what’s weak, and reawakens what’s tired.

Brewed into a tonic, it reconnects the body to its natural strength — making it one of the most powerful and beloved roots in traditional island medicine.