Tonic herbs for cooking! Cooking with chinese herbs is a common approach in chinese cooking. One of the easiest ways to use chinese herbs is in soups. Adding chinese herbs to soups is a long tradition and a distinctive feature of chinese soups.Chinese herbal soups is different from the medicinal decoctions prescribed by traditional chinese medicine practitioners.Decoctions are usually blackish in color, very bitter and have very strong smell while chinese herbal soups are much more palatable. They are gentle tonics meant to nourish the body and maintain proper bodily functionsCooking with chinese herbs is a common approach in chinese cooking. One of the easiest ways to use chinese herbs is in soups. Adding chinese herbs to soups is a long tradition and a distinctive feature of chinese soups.Chinese herbal soups is different from the medicinal decoctions prescribed by traditional chinese medicine practitioners.Decoctions are usually blackish in color, very bitter and have very strong smell while chinese herbal soups are much more palatable. They are gentle tonics meant to nourish the body and maintain proper bodily functionsChicken Herbal Soup Chinese herbal tonic recipes recommend chicken as the base, since it is considered to bring out the Chi and Blood tonic qualities. Also, flavorful aspect of the soup is enhanced by using tonic herbs.