: ) is the Sanskrit

Sanskrit

Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...

 word that now refers to the entire plant kingdom. However, according to Charaka Samhitā

Charaka Samhita

The ' is an early Ayurvedic text on internal medicine. It is believed to be the oldest of the three ancient treatises of Ayurveda...

and Sushruta Samhita

Sushruta Samhita

The Sushruta Samhita is a Sanskrit text, attributed to one Sushruta, foundational to Ayurvedic medicine , with innovative chapters on surgery....

medical texts and the Vaisesikas school of philosophy, "vanaspati" is limited to plants that bear fruits but no evident flowers. In the Rigveda, 9th Mandala, Hymn 1.5, "Vanaspati" (literally meaning: Lord of the Forest) is a deity presiding over the forest and described as the "bright golden hued Vanaspati, with its thousand branches."

Concept in Hindu scriptures

The Rigveda

Rigveda

The Rigveda is an ancient Indian sacred collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns...

divides plants into Vrksha (tree), Oshadhi (herbs useful to humans) and Virudha (creepers). These are subdivided into:

• Visakha (shrubs),
• Sasa (herbs),
• Vratati (climbers),
• Pratanavati (creepers) and
• Alasala (spreading on the ground).

All grasses are separately classified as Trna, flowering plants are Puspavati, and the fruit bearing ones are Phalavati. Leafless plants are placed under the group, Karira.

Other veda

Vedas

The Vedas are a large body of texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the oldest layer of Sanskrit literature and the oldest scriptures of Hinduism....

, the Atharvaveda

Atharvaveda

The Atharvaveda is a sacred text of Hinduism and one of the four Vedas, often called the "fourth Veda"....

divides plants into eight classes:

• (1) Visakha (spreading branches);
• (2) Manjari (leaves with long clusters);
• (3) Sthambini (bushy plants);
• (4) Prastanavati (which expands);
• (5) Ekasrnga (those with monopodial growth);
• (6) Pratanavati (creeping plants);
• (7) Amsumati (with many stalks); and
• (8) Kandini (plants with knotty joints).

The Taittiriya Samhita and the Vajasenayi Samhita texts the plant kingdom is classified into:

• vrksa, vana and druma (trees),
• visakha (shrubs with spreading branches),
• sasa (a herb),
• amsumali (a spreading or deliquescent plant),
• vratati (a climber),
• stambini (a bushy plant),
• pratanavati (a creeper), and
• alasala (those spreading on the ground).

In the words of Brahma

Brahma

Brahma is the Hindu god of creation and one of the Trimurti, the others being Vishnu and Shiva. According to the Brahma Purana, he is the father of Mānu, and from Mānu all human beings are descended. In the Ramayana and the...

, the Manu

Manu Smriti

' , also known as Mānava-Dharmaśāstra , is the most important and earliest metrical work of the Dharmaśāstra textual tradition of Hinduism...

classifies plants as

• (1) Osadhi – plants bearing abundant flowers and fruits, but withering away after fructification,
• (2) Vanaspati – plants bearing fruits without evident flowers,
• (3) Vrksa – tress bearing both flowers and fruits,
• (4) Guccha – bushy herbs,
• (5) Gulma – succulent shrubs,
• (6) Trna – grasses,
• (7) Pratana – creepers which spread their stems on the ground and
• (8) Valli – climbers and entwiners.

Charaka Samhitā

Charaka Samhita

The ' is an early Ayurvedic text on internal medicine. It is believed to be the oldest of the three ancient treatises of Ayurveda...

and Sushruta Samhita

Sushruta Samhita

The Sushruta Samhita is a Sanskrit text, attributed to one Sushruta, foundational to Ayurvedic medicine , with innovative chapters on surgery....

medicine texts classify plants into Vanaspati, Vrksa or vanaspatya, Virudh and Osadhi. This second Susruta subdivides Virudhs into pratanavatya (creepers with spreading stem on the grounds) and gulminya (succulent herbs), whereas the first Charaka

Charaka

Charaka, sometimes spelled Caraka, born c. 300 BC was one of the principal contributors to the ancient art and science of Ayurveda, a system of medicine and lifestyle developed in Ancient India...

subdivides Virudhs into lata (creeper), gulma and osadhis into annuals or perennials bearing fruits and grasses which go without fruits. These are further divided into 50 groups based on their physiological actions and diseases they cure. Flowering plants are divided into sukadhanya (cereals), samidhanya (pulses), saka varga (pot herbs), phala varga (fruits), harita varga (vegetable), ahayogi varga (oils), and iksu varga (sugarcane).

The Vaisesikas school of philosophy classify plants under seven heads, e.g. Vrksa, Trna, Osadhi, Gulma, Lata, Avatana and Vanaspati. Defining the characteristics of the various groups Udayana's Kiranavali, remarks that:

• Vrksas are plants with trunk, branches, flowers and fruits;
• Trnas are exemplified by ulupa like plant;
• Osadhis are plants like kaluma. which die after fruition;
• Gulmas are plant like bhata,
• Latas are represented by kusmanda, a species of Cucurbita;
• Avatanas are plants like ketaki;i and
• Vanaspatis are trees which produce fruits without flowers.

Parasara, the author of Vrksayurveda, classifies plants into Dvimatrka (Dicotyledon

Dicotyledon

The dicotyledons, also known as dicots, are a group of flowering plants whose seed typically has two embryonic leaves or cotyledons. There are around 199,350 species within this group...

s) and Ekamatrka (Monocotyledon

Monocotyledon

Monocotyledons, also known as monocots, are one of two major groups of flowering plants that are traditionally recognized, the other being dicotyledons, or dicots. Monocot seedlings typically have one cotyledon , in contrast to the two cotyledons typical of dicots...

s). These are further classified into:

• Samiganiya (Fabaceae
  Fabaceae
  The Fabaceae or Leguminosae, commonly known as the legume, pea, or bean family, is a large and economically important family of flowering plants. The group is the third largest land plant family, behind only the Orchidaceae and Asteraceae, with 730 genera and over 19,400 species...
  
  ) - With hypogynous (puspakrantabijadhara) and five-petalled flowers, with gamosepalous calyx and an androecium of 10 stamens. This family has three subtypes: vakra-puspa, vikarnika-puspa and suka-puspa.
• Puplikagalniya (Rutaceae
  Rutaceae
  Rutaceae, commonly known as the rue or citrus family, is a family of flowering plants, usually placed in the order Sapindales.Species of the family generally have flowers that divide into four or five parts, usually with strong scents...
  
  ) - Spine bearing plants with odoriferous leaves and winged petioles, flowers are hypogynous (tundamandala) with free petals and stamens. Family has two subtypes: kesaraka and maluraphala.
• Svastikaganiya (Cruciferae) – Calyx
  Sepal
  A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Collectively the sepals form the calyx, which is the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. Usually green, sepals have the typical function of protecting the petals when the flower is in bud...
  
   looks like a svastika. The flower has four sepals, four petals and six stamens, and a superior ovary (tundamandala).
• Tripuspaganiya (Cucurbitaceae
  Cucurbitaceae
  The plant family Cucurbitaceae consists of various squashes, melons, and gourds, including crops such as cucumber, pumpkins, luffas, and watermelons...
  
  ) – Epigynous (kumbhamandala), often unisexual plant. The flower has five united sepals and petals and three stamens and a style with three-pointed stigma (trisirsavarata). The ovary is tri-vartaka (tri-locular).
• Mallikaganiya (Apocynaceae
  Apocynaceae
  The Apocynaceae or dogbane family is a family of flowering plants that includes trees, shrubs, herbs, and lianas.Many species are tall trees found in tropical rainforests, and most are from the tropics and subtropics, but some grow in tropical dry, xeric environments. There are also perennial herbs...
  
  ) – Inflorescent, hermaphrodite (samanga) plants, calyx and corolla are united having five stamens, epipetalous (avyoktakesara). The seeds having long fine hairs (tulapucchasamanvita).
• Kurcapuspaganiya (Compositeae) – Sessile flowers, borne on a common axis, surrounded by a common calyx and look like a brushy head (kurcakara). The ovary is inferior (puspasirsakabijadhara).

Hydrogenated vegetable oil

Vanaspati is also an Indian

Indian English

Indian English is an umbrella term used to describe dialects of the English language spoken primarily in the Republic of India.As a result of British colonial rule until Indian independence in 1947 English is an official language of India and is widely used in both spoken and literary contexts...

/South Asia

South Asia

South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...

n slang for Vansaspati ghee, a fully or partially hydrogenated

Hydrogenation

Hydrogenation, to treat with hydrogen, also a form of chemical reduction, is a chemical reaction between molecular hydrogen and another compound or element, usually in the presence of a catalyst. The process is commonly employed to reduce or saturate organic compounds. Hydrogenation typically...

 vegetable cooking oil

Cooking oil

Cooking oil is purified fat of plant origin, which is usually liquid at room temperature ....

, often used as a cheaper substitute for ghee

Ghee

Ghee is a class of clarified butter that originated in South Asia and is commonly used in South Asian cuisine....

. In India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

, vanaspati ghee is usually made from palm oil

Palm oil

Palm oil, coconut oil and palm kernel oil are edible plant oils derived from the fruits of palm trees. Palm oil is extracted from the pulp of the fruit of the oil palm Elaeis guineensis; palm kernel oil is derived from the kernel of the oil palm and coconut oil is derived from the kernel of the...

. Hydrogenation

Hydrogenation

Hydrogenation, to treat with hydrogen, also a form of chemical reduction, is a chemical reaction between molecular hydrogen and another compound or element, usually in the presence of a catalyst. The process is commonly employed to reduce or saturate organic compounds. Hydrogenation typically...

 is performed using a catalyst known as "supported nickel catalyst", in reactors at low-medium pressure

Pressure

Pressure is the force per unit area applied in a direction perpendicular to the surface of an object. Gauge pressure is the pressure relative to the local atmospheric or ambient pressure.- Definition :...

 (3-10 bar

Bar (unit)

The bar is a unit of pressure equal to 100 kilopascals, and roughly equal to the atmospheric pressure on Earth at sea level. Other units derived from the bar are the megabar , kilobar , decibar , centibar , and millibar...

). Vanaspati ghee is an important source of trans fats in India, and may contain up to 50% trans fats.

In Pakistan

Pakistan

Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...

, vanaspati is spelled "banaspati".