Medicinal plants as industrial resources in the climate change era: a comprehensive review of resilience, economics, and sustainable integration, with case studies of Brassica nigra (L.) Koch and Linum usitatissimum L.

The rising impact of climate change, as well as the rising global incidence of chronic lifestyle-related diseases, are profoundly affecting the agricultural landscape. Medicinal crops, besides their therapeutic value, are being recognized as multifunctional industrial crops with great potential for the development of climate-resilient and sustainable production systems. This review article focuses on Brassica nigra (L.) Koch (black mustard) and Linum usitatissimum L. (flax) as crops that integrate agricultural, nutritional, and industrial functions. These crops contain important bioactive compounds of great value for the production of medicines, nutraceuticals, functional foods, and biomaterials, respectively. This article discusses the agronomic characteristics of the crops, as well as their physiological and biochemical responses to heat and water stresses, and the impact of environmental variability on productivity, seed quality, and content of bioactive compounds. Adaptation to low-input and water-limited production, as well as the structure of the value chain, are also reported as factors that influence the crop performance and economic value of the products. In general, B. nigra and L. usitatissimum, exemplify the multifunctionality of medicinal crops for the development of a sustainable agricultural system for the future.