Lemon Myrtle originates from the Australian Rainforest and was given the botanical name Backhousia citriodora in 1853 after the English botanist, James Backhouse. The common name reflects the strong sweet lemon smell of the crushed leaves. It is often mistakenly called "lemon ironbark", which is actually Eucalyptus staigeriana.

The essential ingredient is Citral, which accounts for over 90% of the plants essential oil, compared to about 3% in lemon oil. The oil is extracted by steam distillation.

Natural stands of Lemon Myrtle are confined to the subtropical and tropical coastal rainforest areas in Queensland, however Lemon Myrtle is well suited to grow in the Northern Rivers area in a variety of soils. Citral has been shown to exhibit sedative, anti-viral and anti-fungal properties. Aldehydes, a particularly effective citral, have long been considered to contain anti-tumor properties, though the few studies carried out are inconclusive.

In a study carried out into the 1950's a number of Australian aromatic plants were tested for anti-bacterial action against human pathogens such as Staph. aureus and Staph. typhi. Whilst 15 out of 34 oils passed the test, the most potent of these were Backhousia citriodora and B. angustifolia.