Lemon myrtle was so loved by the British royal family that it was cultivated on a large scale on the Isle of Wight during the reign of Queen Victoria. Because of its characteristic of not withering easily, it was used as a bouquet emblem symbolizing marriage and love, and was enjoyed as a tea for bronchial health.

Lemon myrtle you must try before you die

Lemon myrtle is an herb that is receiving attention worldwide, so much so that it was introduced in food journalist Frances Case’s book, ‘1001 Foods You Must Eat Before You Die’. It is used as a spice to remove the gamey and fishy smell of meat or fish and add flavor to dishes. Lemon myrtle has a deeper and stronger scent than lemon and is used in various ways in daily life. Lemon oil in particular promotes protein digestion and absorption and suppresses the secretion of estradiol, a female hormone, helping prevent and treat breast cancer. It contains a large amount of vitamin C, vitamin E, and citral, which have antioxidant properties. Citral is the main component of lemon oil, which makes up 90% of lemon myrtle, and has been proven to have various health benefits, including antibacterial, immune-boosting, natural preservative, and anticancer effects. Lemon myrtle also exhibited over 90% activation activity at a concentration of 50 µg/ml.

Korea’s first lemon myrtle cultivation

Myrtree Farm CEO Kim Su-jin, who went to the U.S. as an exchange student during his college years, worked at a subsidiary of Budweiser, a global beer company, after graduation, sharing information with specialized research institutes through food and crop exploration, primary ingredient analysis, and data collection. Then, Kim and company staff started a business distributing building materials by compressing palm tree bark to form the base of vertical gardens. “When I was in the US, due to the nature of my job, I had a lot of data on food and crops that were not yet known to the market. Now, Korea is also interested in vertical gardens and they are becoming active, but the US has already recognized the potential of vertical gardens 15 years ago and related companies have been active through research and development.” said Kim. It was 2012 that Kim returned to Korea. He had always enjoyed growing plants as a hobby, and because he liked the scent of lemon myrtle, he started growing it at home and eventually started a business. “As I transitioned into business, I learned about the various ingredients it contained. Among them, lemon oil contains 90-99% compared to orange (2-5%), lemon (6-9%), and lemongrass (65-85%), so I started developing the product.” After years of research and development, Myrtree Farm now produces tea bags made with lemon myrtle and lemon oil, as well as herbal salts, powders, facial oils for aromatherapy, mists, hair shampoos, hair treatments, and body washes. In particular, lemon myrtle tea is excellent for muscle cramps, rheumatism, headaches and fevers, and suppresses pathogens that are one of the causes of stomach and duodenal diseases. In addition, it is a rich source of antioxidants (phenolic acids, polyphenols, flavonoids) that help reduce celluloid and blood vessel and heart functions, helping with vascular health and immune system antioxidants, and its fragrant scent also helps with insomnia. 100g of dried leaves of lemon myrtle, a rich source of calcium, which is important for bone and dental health, contain 1.5 times the recommended daily intake of calcium, and also contain large amounts of lutein, magnesium, manganese, and vitamin E, which are important for eye health.

Due to the various ingredients of lemon myrtle, Starbucks Korea, Seoul Milk, and O’Sulloc are selling products using Myrtree Farm’s lemon myrtle. It was also introduced on KBS 1TV’s 6 o’clock hometown and neighborhood tour. “We are striving to become a company where both our employees and partners can grow together. Up until now, we have had difficulties securing manpower and funds for product development and technology research to grow lemon myrtle and make products, but we have walked a single path with the confidence that people will eventually recognize us. We will pass on high value-added farming methods to increase farmers’ profits and provide high-quality lemon myrtle products that meet the needs of domestic consumers through technological research.” said Kim.