The secret to preventing grey hair and banishing wrinkles could be hiding in your kitchen pantry, experts say. 

Dr Marina Christov, a leading voice in traditional Chinese medicine, and Dr Vincent Candrawinata, a clinical nutritionist and antioxidant researcher, agree you don't need to spend hundreds on vitamins or supplements to stay looking young.

They claim the solutions to common ageing concerns can be found in food. 

'Chinese medicine places a lot of emphasis on preventing disease through food, which in itself, is an anti-ageing concept,' Dr Christov tells me. 

'The less pain or physical or mental strain the body has to deal with, the more time it has to repair itself and function at an optimum level.' 

'It's all about balance - the yin and yang,' Dr Vincent, 35, adds. 

Traditional Chinese medicine first crossed paths with Western medicine the 17th century and became a fad in the 1970s before later having a resurgence in the '90s.

Now it's becoming popular among millennials and Gen Z. 

Dr Marina Christov (pictured) tells me, 'Chinese medicine places a lot of emphasis on preventing disease through food, which in itself, is an anti-ageing concept'

Dr Vincent Candrawinata (pictured), a clinical nutritionist and antioxidant researcher, agrees you don't need to spend hundreds on vitamins or supplements

WHAT FOODS CAN HELP PREVENT PREMATURE GREYS?

Finding your first grey hair can be a shocking experience, especially if it occurs in your 20s.

According to research, grey hairs occur from a reduction in melanin production by hair follicles and deficiency in certain vitamins, such as B12 and copper. 

That being said, consuming black sesame seeds as a daily garnish could help delay the process.

'Black sesame seeds are classified under the "heating" food group; it's a tonic to help with premature ageing. It nourishes the blood and helps preserve or protect the hair follicle pigment,' Dr Vincent says. 

'But you need to balance it with a "cooling" food, such as apples. This pairing not only helps with clearing the spleen, kidneys and digestive system, but also helps to enhance the effect of pigment protection.'

Dr Vincent says pairing sesame seeds, sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds with apples can also result in better skin and have anti-ageing effects. 

Dr Christov also suggests consuming other black foods, such as black beans, cherries, mushrooms or other ingredients with darker tones, to maintain the pigment in the hair follicles. However, she stresses it is not a 'quick fix' and highlights the importance of understanding what your body needs first, because 'too much heat' in the body can cause inflammation. 

Finding your first grey hair can be a shocking experience, especially if it happens in your 20s. That said, consuming black sesame seeds as a daily garnish could help delay the process

WHAT FOODS CAN HELP PREVENT WRINKLES?

Good news: Chinese medicine offers cheap and simple way to prevent wrinkles, too. 

Dr Marina Christov says it's 'all about hydration and moistening the body' through white or green teas and foods rich in vitamin C, like berries, apples and pears.

'You need constant, gentle hydration to cleanse the liver, get rid of toxins while bringing an infusion of vitamin C,' she explains.

'Longevity is about a committed balance. You need to pay attention to what your body needs rather than give in to fads and trends - and preventative Botox won't work.'

Dr Christov recommends eating berries to boost hydration, but not in autumn or winter. She suggests to then opt for apples or pears instead, and bonus points if they're poached which makes them easier to digest.

In fact, you should always change your diet with the seasons. 

'We're using food as medicine, so we can't eat the same food all the time. Digestion uses energy, too.' 

For example, in summer, nourish the body with watermelon, rockmelon, strawberries, mangos and hydrating fruits during the hot months. 

In autumn, opt for apples, pears, rhubarb, ginger and quince to 'start warming up the digestive system to prepare for winter'. 

During the cooler months, think slow-cooked meals, stews and soups to not only keep you warm from the inside out but use less energy to digest. 

In spring, opt for 'all the greens' to 'clean up' the internal systems ready for summer.

WHICH CHINESE MEDICINES CAN HELP WITH ANTI-AGEING?

Dr Christov has bad news for those relying on 'tweakments' to stay looking young. 

'Preventative Botox is insane - you're actually going to weaken your muscles and age faster,' she says.

'I think just focusing on the face is never going to give you the results you want.'

Dr Christov claims to be one of the first practitioners to bring facial acupuncture to Australia and still uses the method today for anti-ageing. She complements it with cupping therapy.

She stresses how it has to be done in the 'right order' and take the whole body into account for optimum results. 

'You can't take a short cuts. Beauty and longevity is about the whole body from the inside out and your whole being,' she says. 

Dr Christov claims to be one of the first practitioners to bring facial acupuncture to Australia and still uses the method today for anti-ageing. She complements it with cupping therapy 

PRESERVING AND BALANCE 

Dr Christov explains how Chinese medicine focuses largely on preserving the energy of adrenals, which encompasses two main systems.

'The kidneys - the water element - are like the backbone of who you are. In Western medicine, the kidneys are linked with the adrenal glands,' she says.

'The more stress and cortisol you have, then your hormones will be unbalanced which means your kidney energy will be depleted, thus leading to faster ageing.

'The other system that needs to be protected and preserved is the system of the heart - the fire element - and what brings you joy, who you are.'

Dr Vincent, who grew up in Indonesia but now lives in Sydney, explains how in Chinese culture and traditional Chinese medicine, foods are divided into two groups: heating and cooling.

The heating group refers to foods that 'act as a blood tonic', which helps with nourishment and vitality and assists generating energy to maintain immunity. 

Whereas the cooling food group refers to foods which assist with the digestive system, respiratory system and helps calm the mind at night. 

'In 99 per cent, if not all, of Chinese medicine formulation and practice, there's a combination between the two. It's a balancing act; you can't have one without the other,' Dr Vincent says.

He suggests you should consume foods from both groups to reap the benefits, such as black sesame seeds (heating) paired with apples (cooling). 

But if you consume too much food from only one group, it can have a negative impact.

'For example, when people eat goji berries with sesame seeds, it can result in their skin breaking out because there's too much heat. 

'Whereas apples, another antioxidant powerhouse, are part of the cooling group and work to hydrate and clear the heat in the body. Apples can also help the energy and meridian lines of the spleen and stomach.'

But, of course, Dr Christov adds 'it isn't black and white' and you can't expect internal healing simply by pairing two types of foods together.

When starting an anti-ageing journey, speak to a Chinese doctor to create a specified plan for your body - and don't simply follow advice seen on TikTok.