The bottle in which the genie lives in is a nearly identical replica of the bottle that the genie, Jeannie, lived in on the classic television show, "I Dream Of Jeannie" (1965). The title of the episode is, of course, a play on the classic show's title, and, in it, Phoebe (Alyssa Milano) also dons a nearly identical costume to the one Jeannie wore on the 1965 show.
When Phoebe & Chris orb to the dig site in the beginning, there was no indication that the Arabic men were demons when phoebe threw the potion.
Bosk's entry in The Book of Shadows reads, "A sinister low level demon who attacks by shooting light darts at his victims. He can be vanquished with the following ingredients: Mandrake, Dark Roasted Wattleseed, Dwarf Milkweed,
Keeled Bladderpod".