Abstract: There were several records of the‘shepherd’s purse’in the Chinese ancient documents, such as in the‘Book of Odes’and‘Records of the Rites of the Chou (Dynasty)’. In order to determine the original plants of the names, the taxonomic method was applied in the study. According to the ancient documents, the description and record of the morphological characteristics were illuminated. With the comparative morphology, it concluded that the present‘shepherd’s purse’was the same name of the ancient‘shepherd’s purse’. The scientific name was‘shepherd’s purse’belonged to Cruciferae of modern taxa, and the Latin name was Capsella bursa-pastoris (L.) Medic. At the same time, the original plants of five other plants related to the‘Shepherd’s purse’in the Chinese ancient documents were made clear. The research on the original plants of the‘Shepherd’s Purse’and the related plants in the Chinese ancient documents disclosed that the unity of the medical value and the dietary property of the‘Shepherd’s Purse’resulted from the cognition and utilization of the medical and edible values of the plants. The process of deeply learning‘Shepherd’s Purse’was the process of learning and utilizing botany knowledge.