Lemon myrtle essential oil showed cytotoxic activity against liver cancer cells in lab tests, with the strongest effect on HepG2 liver cancer cells (IC50: 40.90 μg/mL). The oil's main active component is citral (74.9% of the oil), which appears to trigger cancer cell death by stopping cell division and triggering apoptosis. However, this was tested in cells in a petri dish—not in humans or even animal models.

Researchers tested lemon myrtle essential oil against four different cancer cell lines using standard lab cytotoxicity assays. They identified the oil's chemical makeup and traced which cellular pathways were affected, primarily in liver cancer cells.

Funding not disclosed in abstract