Climate change effects on growth and food applications of medicinal and aromatic plants

Various sectors such as pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and food industries rely significantly upon medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) because of their bioactive compounds, pharmacological properties, and utilization for flavour, aroma, and nutritional value improvement for the food system. However, industrial climate change, including temperature rise, changing precipitation, CO 2 increases and more extreme weather events, severely threatens the growth, effectiveness and food potential of these plants. Environmental condition changes result in influences over key physiologic processes such as photosynthesis, secondary metabolite production, and plant growth cycles. This consequently impacts the yield, the quality and the bioactive composition of MAPs which may alter the nutritional and therapeutic effectiveness of MAPs. The adaptation mechanisms of MAPs to climatic changes are also species-specific and closely associated with genetic diversity and ecological niche. This variation underscores the importance of characterizing the plant environment interactions in order to facilitate sustainable cultivation and utilization of MAPs. Additionally, they are increasingly being used in a wide range of functional foods and beverages, where their antioxidant, antimicrobial, and flavour-enhancing properties have been emphasized. This review highlights significance of climate change on MAPs and their utilization in food and pharmaceutical industry.