14 DAY TRIAL // In an episode dubbed “Purple Wedding,” the world said goodbye to one of the best villains ever, i.e. “Game of Thrones'” King Joffrey.
The King is known to have been killed by a poison dubbed the Strangler. While fans of the HBO series are still trying to figure out who is to blame for Joffrey's death, scientists have attempted to figure out what killed him.
As detailed in the American Chemical Society video below, which made it on YouTube just yesterday, George RR Martin describes the poison as being plant-based.
More precisely, the book says that it came “from the leaves of a plant” that grows and thrives on an island in the “Sea of Jade.”
According to chemist Raychelle Burks, this means that the Strangler must have been extracted from belladonna, otherwise known as the deadly night shade, poison hemlock, or the strychnine tree.
Since poisons extracted from belladonna and poison hemlock cause the muscles in the human body to relax, and King Joffrey's death was anything but relaxing, chemist Raychelle Burks believes that chemicals originating from the strychnine tree.
This is because, according to previous investigations, strychnine tree-based poison causes the muscles in an individual's face and neck to contract, which is pretty much what happened to Joffrey.
Check out the video below to learn more about the Strangler, and feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section. As long as you are not thinking about posting spoilers, that is.
