The botanical name for Okinawa spinach is gynura bicolor, and it is a member of the aster (asteraceae) family.
It has two types of leaves, first green on both sides, then green on the top and purple on the bottom.
In Ishikawa, Kumamoto, and Okinawa, this plant is eaten as a local vegetable, easily boiled and served as an ingredient in ponzu, miso soup, or tempura .
In China, it is a "cold" food called hongfeng cai, so the leaves are stir-fried with sesame oil and ginger (as "hot" foods) to balance it out.
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