In the fast-paced, hectic environment of modern Unova, the leaves of a Pansage's head have become ubiquitous as a remedy for stress. Once, these leaves were the sole province of monks and sages, who were said to need them to protect their spirits from the worst truths of the universe. Whether this need was truly greater than that of people who faced the stresses of ordinary life was always questioned by a few contrarians, and when the sages lost their power, Pansage leaf became a commodity to be consumed by all. Pansage share these leaves gladly, and improved agricultural practices have kept up with the modern rise in demand, at least among domestic pansage; their wild counterparts, chasing the security of farms, have all but vanished from Unova's forests into pokeballs.
Yet although these leaves are never too far from any trainer's (or non-trainer's) kitchen, few pokemon will willingly taste them. When forcibly fed these leaves anyway by a misguided trainer, should the pokemon not spit them out before digestion, their body changes are characteristic with those after a frustrating defeat in battle. Although it is not unheard of for humans to be immune to something which impacts all pokemon – for instance, humans can not be confined in pokeballs – it is quite curious that a leaf loathed by all pokemon except their bearers should be so beloved by mankind.
Some have speculated this is because of humanity's evolutionary connection with the Pansage, but humans are not grass-types and other primates do not share this affection for Pansage leaves. Perhaps it is simply because humans have constructed such an artificial and challenging society that their stresses can only be relieved by this mysterious leaf, which to other pokemon recalls the sensation of a bitter defeat.