Palgrave, in his work on Central and Eastern Arabia, mentions
a plant whose seeds produce effects analogous to those of
laughing-gas. The plant is a native of Arabia. A dwarf
variety is found at Kasum, and another variety at Oman, which
attains a height of from three to four feet, with woody
stems, wide-spreading branches, and light green foliage. The
flowers are produced in clusters and are yellow in color. The
seed-pods contain two or three black seeds of the size and
shape of a French bean. Their flavor is a little like that of
opium, the taste is sweet, and the odor from them produces a
sickening sensation and is slightly offensive. These seeds,
when pulverized and taken in small doses, operate on a person
in a very peculiar manner. He begins to laugh loudly and
boisterously, and then sings, dances, and cuts up all kinds of
fantastic capers. The effect continues about an hour, and the
patient is extremely comical. When the excitement ceases, the
exhausted individual falls into a deep sleep, which continues
for an hour or more, and when he awakens, he is utterly
unconscious that any such demonstrations have been made by
him.--_Scientific American._
(1756)