Witchy movie trivia: Rosemary’s Baby

 Witchy Movie trivia 

Rosemary’s Baby

Time for a bit of movie trivia, spoilers ahead…

Devils pepper in Rosemarys baby 

The Poison Devil’s Pepper: Rauvolfia vomitoria in the Witch’s Garden

Devils Pepper is encircled in the book Rosemary is given. But what is it really? In the shadowed realms of African forests, where ancient spirits whisper through the leaves, grows a plant both revered and feared: Rauvolfia vomitoria, known to some as the Poison Devil’s Pepper or African Snakeroot. 

This evergreen shrub or small tree, reaching heights of up to 8 meters, bears whorls of glossy, lance-shaped leaves in groups of three—a trinity that echoes the sacred number in many mystical traditions. Its tiny, fragrant white flowers give way to bright orange-red fruits, tempting yet toxic, like forbidden knowledge offered by the underworld.

The very name vomitoria hints at its purgative power, inducing violent cleansing—a trait that aligns it with the witch’s art of banishment and renewal. Every part of this plant is laced with potent indole alkaloids, chief among them reserpine, which depletes the mind and body of excess energies, calming frenzy and lowering the veil between worlds. In the hands of traditional African healers—those wise ones who bridge the physical and spiritual—the roots and bark are decocted to expel not just physical toxins, but malevolent forces.

In regions like Benin and Nigeria, Rauvolfia vomitoria is invoked against witchcraft itself, brewed into infusions that protect the spirit from mystical assaults. Healers administer it for “madness caused by evil spirits,” where the plant’s anticonvulsant and sedative alkaloids quiet the tormented soul, driving out possessing entities through ritual purging. This is no mere herb; it is a guardian of the psyche, used in ceremonies to induce trance-like states, opening doors to ancestral wisdom or forcing out intrusive shadows. In Ivory Coast, certain sects regard it as a fetish object, a sacred talisman warding off serpentine evils—fitting for a plant nicknamed “serpent wood.”

Yet, like the double-edged athame, its power demands respect. The Poison Devil’s Pepper lives up to its moniker: all parts are toxic, capable of coating arrows for the hunt or poisoning rats, symbolizing its role in hexes and curses as much as cures. In modern echoes of ancient lore, its extracts have been explored for subduing the unruly mind, much as a witch might bind a chaotic spirit.

For the contemporary practitioner drawn to African diasporic traditions or ecletic shadow work, Rauvolfia vomitoria embodies banishing, psychic protection, and spiritual cleansing. A root talisman might shield against envy or malice; a carefully prepared tea (with utmost caution, for its potency rivals belladonna) could aid in exorcising inner demons or inducing visionary states. But heed the old warning: this is no gentle ally. It purges fiercely, stripping away illusions—and perhaps more than intended.

In the witch’s pharmacopeia, Rauvolfia vomitoria stands as a testament to the thin line between poison and panacea, devil and deliverer. It reminds us that true magic often lies in the plants that dance closest to the abyss, offering transformation to those bold enough to harvest them under the moon’s watchful eye.

How about the book in the movie is that real too?

In the movie Rosemary receives a book called “All of Them Witches” from a worried friend. She rearranges the title letters to spell a name , However, the title actually is an anagram for "Hell a Cometh Swift". In Polanski's Rosemary's Baby adaptation, the book that Rosemary reads in the cab is the Book of Ceremonial Magic, by A.E. Waite, Chapter IV: The Rituals Of Black Magic: Section 4: The Grimoire of Honorius.

And Tannis?

Sorry but no. Tannis root was made up.

In the movie,

Tannis root is used by the coven to control minds. But to control behavior. So when you're wearing that Tannis fruit necklace or you're using it on somebody else you can control the way they think. They're more susceptible.

The charm Rosemary wears was of course just a harmless prop .