The Sanskrit term Mahāśītā can be transliterated into English as Mahasita or Mahashita, using the IAST transliteration scheme (?).

In Hinduism

Ayurveda (science of life)

Nighantu (Synonyms and Characteristics of Drugs and technical terms)

Source: WorldCat: Rāj nighaṇṭu

Mahāsitā (महासिता) is the Sanskrit name for an unidentified medicinal plant, according to verse 4.69-70 of the 13th-century Raj Nighantu or Rājanighaṇṭu.

Mahāsitā is mentioned as having four synonyms: Vṛttaparṇi, Śvetapuṣpā, Mahāśvetaghaṇṭī and Mahāśaṇapuṣpikā.

Properties and characteristics: “Mahāsitā is astringent (rasa) and hot (vīrya), used in pārada-bandha (controlling the fluidity of mercury). It is said to be used in asserting ones activity by arousing ones curiosity and the stupefy him or her”.

context information

Āyurveda (आयुर्वेद, ayurveda) is a branch of Indian science dealing with medicine, herbalism, taxology, anatomy, surgery, alchemy and related topics. Traditional practice of Āyurveda in ancient India dates back to at least the first millenium BC. Literature is commonly written in Sanskrit using various poetic metres.

Purana and Itihasa (epic history)

Source: archive.org: Shiva Purana - English Translation

Mahāśīta (महाशीत) refers to “intense chillness”, according to the Śivapurāṇa 2.4.2 (“The birth of Śiva’s son”).—Accordingly, after Nārada spoke to Agni: “O sage, meanwhile the wives of the seven celestial sages came there desirous of taking their early morning bath in the month of Māgha with other observances of rites. After the bath, six of them were distressed by the chillness (mahāśīta-ardita) and were desirous of going near the flame of fire. [...]”.

context information

The Purana (पुराण, purāṇas) refers to Sanskrit literature preserving ancient India’s vast cultural history, including historical legends, religious ceremonies, various arts and sciences. The eighteen mahapuranas total over 400,000 shlokas (metrical couplets) and date to at least several centuries BCE.

Biology (plants and animals)

Source: Google Books: CRC World Dictionary (Regional names)

Mahashita in India is the name of a plant defined with Asparagus racemosus in various botanical sources. This page contains potential references in Ayurveda, modern medicine, and other folk traditions or local practices It has the synonym Asparagopsis brownei Kunth (among others).

Example references for further research on medicinal uses or toxicity (see latin names for full list):

· Journal of Economic and Taxonomic Botany (1991)
· Nouv. Ann. Mus. Paris (1834)
· Malpighia (1937)
· Species Plantarum. (1799)
· Journal of the Linnean Society, Botany (1875)
· Hortus Bengalensis, or ‘a Catalogue of the Plants Growing in the Hounourable East India Company's Botanical Garden at Calcutta’ (1814)

If you are looking for specific details regarding Mahashita, for example extract dosage, side effects, chemical composition, pregnancy safety, diet and recipes, health benefits, have a look at these references.

context information

This sections includes definitions from the five kingdoms of living things: Animals, Plants, Fungi, Protists and Monera. It will include both the official binomial nomenclature (scientific names usually in Latin) as well as regional spellings and variants.

Languages of India and abroad

Sanskrit dictionary

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Mahāśītā (महाशीता).—f.

(-tā) A plant, (Asparagus racemosa.) E. mahā, śītā cooling.

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary

1) Mahāśītā (महाशीता):—[=mahā-śītā] [from mahā > mah] f. Asparagus Racemosus, [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]

2) Mahāsitā (महासिता):—[=mahā-sitā] [from mahā > mah] f. a species of Crotolaria, [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Mahāśītā (महाशीता):—[mahā-śītā] (tā) 1. f. Asparagus.

[Sanskrit to German]

Mahashita in German

context information

Sanskrit, also spelled संस्कृतम् (saṃskṛtam), is an ancient language of India commonly seen as the grandmother of the Indo-European language family (even English!). Closely allied with Prakrit and Pali, Sanskrit is more exhaustive in both grammar and terms and has the most extensive collection of literature in the world, greatly surpassing its sister-languages Greek and Latin.

See also (Relevant definitions)

Partial matches: Sita, Maha.

Starts with: Mahashitardita, Mahashitavati.

Query error!

Full-text: Mahashitardita, Vrittaparni, Mahashvetaghanti, Mahashanapushpika, Shvetapushpa.

Relevant text

Search found 2 books and stories containing Mahashita, Mahāśītā, Mahāsitā, Maha-shita, Maha-sita, Mahasita, Mahā-sitā, Mahā-sitā, Mahā-śītā; (plurals include: Mahashitas, Mahāśītās, Mahāsitās, shitas, sitas, Mahasitas, sitās, śītās). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:

World Journal of Pharmaceutical Research

Queen of herbs shatavari -synonyms review from nighantus < [2023: Volume 12, September special issue 16]

A crystal compendium on raja nighantu < [2023: Volume 12, June issue 9]

International Ayurvedic Medical Journal

Circumstantial view on clinical knowing of manovaha srotasa and its physiology < [2016, Issue III March]

show preview