The tea tree is evergreen and shrub-like. The essential oil comes from steam distilling the leaves. It has traditionally been used for health purposes by Aboriginal Australians, and at the beginning of WWII, many soldiers in the Australian Army carried a small bottle of tea tree essential oil with them.

Kangaroos run wild in the Australian tea tree plantation that supplies dōTERRA. The trees grow from spring through the autumn, with harvesting only done during the winter months to prevent loss of growing time. The same trees can be harvested every year because they begin to re-grow 3 to 6 weeks after harvest. Due to the sustainable harvesting process, the Australia plantation continues to increase the health and productivity of the same fields of tea trees after 18 years of operation.