Lemon Myrtle is delicious lemony flavored and fragranced Bush Tucker food. This evergreen small tree grows to about 5m tall and is a must have in the Sub-tropical gardens of Australia.
Lemon Myrtle is Edible, and useful for adding a lemon flavor to many of your food creations and is one of the well known bush food flavours. The leaves, fresh or dried, can be used with baked fish, breads, cheesecakes, sauces, chicken and rice dishes, or to make a lemon flvoured tea.
AND Its Medicinal – Make a tea for coughs, colds, and other respiratory ailments such as sinus. It is a powerful Antifungal agent and the dried leaf is said to have free radical scavenging ability.
The essential oil is extracted from the flowers and leaves and has the highest citral purity; typically higher than lemongrass. A few drops in a hot cup of water with a tsp of honey makes a powerfully soothing tea for coughs, colds, and sore throats.
Other Uses: Add to soaps, floral displays, insect repellents and as an air freshener.
Indigenous Australians have long used Lemon Myrtle in food and as a healing plant. The principle attraction to gardeners is the lemon smell, which perfumes both the leaves and flowers of the tree.
Lemon Myrtle Tea:
1/4 cup of Lemon Myrtle leaves fresh and crushed and 2 cups of boiling water.
Pour boiling water over herb and steep for 5-8 minutes. Strain and drink 1 cup now and i cup later.
Much of the wisdom written on this page was discovered through reading a fabulous book called “One hundred and one Herbs to Grow in South East Queensland” compiled by the Queensland Herb Society.