Extracted by steam distillation. The major constituent is citral, which accounts for over 90% of Lemon Myrtle Essential Oil, compared to about 3% in Lemon Oil. 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.