Delicious herbs rosemary and oregano can do more than enhance the taste of your food. Researchers have found that these two herbs have healthful compounds that can potentially fight Type 2 diabetes.

More than 8 percent of Americans have Type-2 diabetes, which costs the country $175 billion. With the changes in lifestyle, it is difficult for certain patients to follow the prescription drugs to manage their blood sugar level.  Gonzalez de Mejia's and the team planned to understand the benefits of herbs on these patients following a recent research that showed herbs might naturally lower glucose in blood.

Researchers conducted tests on four different herbs, either greenhouse-grown or dried commercial versions, for their ability to interfere with a diabetes-related enzyme, which is also a target of a prescription drug for the disease, the authors stated in a press release.

The results showed that the herbs were enriched with more polyphenols and flavonoids compared to the equivalent commercial herbs. However, this did not have any impact on the concentration required to inhibit the enzyme. Commercial extracts of Greek oregano, Mexican oregano and rosemary slowed down the enzyme, required to reduce risk of type-2 diabetes, than greenhouse-grown herbs.

Researchers stated that further studies are required to understand the role of these compounds in reducing the risk of type-2 diabetes in humans.

A recent study by University of Michigan Health System showed that drugs prescribed for Type-2 diabetes have a number of side effects in people above 50 years of age. The drugs can lead to weight gain and burdens like frequent insulin shots.

The study was published in ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.