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Black tea is one of the most popular beverages consumed in the world. It is stronger in taste as well as in flavour compared to other less oxidized teas. It is made from the leaves of the shrub Camellia sinensis var. assamica. Black tea can be supplemented with other plant parts to enhance its flavour and health-promoting properties. In India, Ocimum spp. leaves have been used for their medicinal properties since ancient times. These leaves can be added during black tea preparation to enhance their aroma and healing activities. O. gratissimum, known as “Scent Leaf”, is traditionally used for the management of many diseases, such as the common cold and cough. This work was designed to evaluate the antioxidant interaction between black tea and O. gratissimum (leaves) at five different ratios (1:1, 1:2, 1:3, 2:1, and 3:1). To determine the antioxidant activity, chemical-based methods and ex vivo assays were conducted. The total phenolic and flavonoid contents were calculated by Folin’s reagent and aluminium chloride colorimetric assays, respectively. The antioxidant interactions were determined by the combination index (CI), using CompuSyn software. The black tea exhibited higher radical quenching activity (DPPH, ABTS, and NO) and antihaemolytic and anti-lipid peroxidation potential compared to the Ocimum gratissimum infusion. Variation in the antioxidant capability was observed for various ratios of the black tea and O. gratissimum (BT+OG) combination. The antioxidant interaction between BT and OG ranged from nearly additive to antagonistic. The total phenolic content was higher for O. gratissimum, whereas the total flavonoid content was high in black tea. The binary mixture of BT+OG at all ratios (3:1, 2:1, 1:1, 1:2, and 1:3) expressed similar phenolic and flavonoid levels. Overall, black tea and O. gratissimum displayed additive antioxidant interaction and the highest free radical scavenging potential at a 3:1 proportion in all the performed parameters.

Climate change is one of the main drivers for species redistribution and biodiversity loss, especially for endemic and medicinally important plant species with a restricted distributional range. For that reason, it is vital to comprehend "how" and "where" priority medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) might be effectively used to address conservation-related issues under rapid climate change. In the current study, we used an ensemble modelling approach to investigate the present and future potential distribution coupled with the range dynamics of the Aquilegia fragrans–a medicinally important endangered plant species in the entire spectrum of the Himalayan biodiversity hotspot. The findings of the current study revealed that, under current climatic conditions, the northwest states of India (Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and the northern part of Uttarakhand); the eastern and southern parts of Pakistan Himalaya have highly suitable and optimal climatic conditions for the growth of A. fragrans. The ensemble model exhibited high forecast accuracy, with temperature seasonality (BIO4) and precipitation seasonality (BIO15) as the main climatic variables responsible for the distribution in the biodiversity hotspot. Furthermore, the study predicted that future climate change scenarios will diminish habitat suitability for the species by -46.922% under RCP4.5 2050 and − 55.052% under RCP4.5 2070. Likewise, under RCP8.5 the habitat suitability will decrease by -51.760% in 2050 and-94.351% in 2070. The current study also revealed that the western Himalayan area will show the most habitat loss. Some regions that are currently unsuitable such as the northern Himalayan regions of Pakistan will become more suitable under climate change scenarios. Hopefully, the current approach will provide a robust technique and showcases a model with learnings for predicting cultivation hotspots and devising scientifically sound conservation plans for this endangered medicinal plant in the Himalayan biodiversity hotspot.

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