Nutrition academic Hazel Flight highlights that flavourings such as garlic, ginger or turmeric can have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, while also leading people to use less salt.
So I would say that the two key differentiating factors are actually the air content and the fat content rather than the source of the ingredients used for flavouring.
Mala soup base is a curry-like broth, lt is made with spicy, aromatic flavourings like Szechuan peppercorns, chilies and ginger. The broth is great for both meats and vegetables.
For e-cigarettes, using a liquid solution instead of dried tobacco has become popular; this e-liquid contains water, nicotine, a base and occasionally flavourings, and vaporizes at a much lower temperature.