Main conclusion <p>The study uncovers how <i>Agastache rugosa</i> coordinates carbon fixation, redox balance, and ATP homeostasis via distinct metabolic strategies optimized for different light and nutrient conditions.</p> Abstract <p>This study explores the metabolic adaptations of <i>Agastache rugosa</i> (Fisch. &amp; C.A.Mey.) Kuntze in varying light and nutrient conditions, focusing on the coordination between photosynthetic and respiratory pathways. Plants were grown under two light levels (high light, 0% shade; low-light, 50% shade) and four nutrient treatments (NPK1, 40&#xa0;mg&#xa0;kg⁻¹; NPK2, 80&#xa0;mg&#xa0;kg⁻¹; NPK3, 120&#xa0;mg&#xa0;kg⁻¹; NPK4, 160&#xa0;mg&#xa0;kg⁻¹) and key metabolic parameters were analyzed. High-light plants had peak carbonic anhydrase activity (5.17 ± 0.26 U g⁻¹ FW) at NPK2, optimizing carbon fixation and redox balance with 20.6% and 12.8% higher NADP⁺/NADPH and NAD⁺/NADH ratios, each. Low-light plants upregulated PEPC (+110%), and PEPCK (+34%) at NPK4, displaying enhanced anaplerotic carbon fixation. Despite lower respiratory activity, (NADH–UQ, −50%; COX, −46%), plants under low-light had tenfold higher ATP at NPK3 through reduced consumption. Principal component and hierarchical cluster analyses (&gt; 60% similarity) revealed distinct metabolic strategies between light treatments. Strong correlations among photosynthetic, respiratory, and redox parameters (r &gt; 0.7, <i>P</i> &lt; 0.001) indicated metabolic integration via shared regulatory networks. Our findings reveal the metabolic plasticity of <i>A. rugosa</i>, offering insights into plant adaptation with implications for cultivation. Moreover, multivariate analyses unveiled complex regulatory networks coordinating energy metabolism, highlighting the metabolic reprogramming employed by <i>A. rugosa</i> to maintain energetic and redox balance under dynamic environmental conditions.</p>