The Beefsteak Fungus

The Beefsteak Fungus, also called Ox-tongue or Poor Man’s Meat, is a bracket fungus that grows on oak and sweet chestnut. Its uncanny resemblance to raw meat, complete with “bleeding” red juice, has given it a place in folklore as a symbol of vitality, sacrifice, and decay-into-renewal. While edible, its tart, acidic taste makes it more a curiosity than a delicacy.

Identification Guide

Where it grows:

Found on oak and chestnut trees, either parasitic on living trunks or saprophytic on stumps.

Appears late summer to autumn in temperate woodlands.

Appearance:

• Flesh inside is pale pink, marbled, and exudes red juice when cut (like blood).

• Looks like a chunk of raw meat or a thick, red tongue protruding from wood.

• Surface is reddish, often with a bumpy, lobed texture.

Beefsteak Fungus Magickal Correspondences

• Element: Earth (with a strong undertone of Blood/Water)

• Planet: Mars (for its fleshy, blood-like appearance & vitality) + Saturn (for its parasitic/decaying aspect)

• Deities: Chthonic deities, blood-bound spirits, deities of sacrifice & regeneration (Hecate, Hel, Cernunnos)

• Colors: Deep red, oxblood, brown

Associations

Vitality & Blood Magic – its flesh “bleeds” when cut, making it a sympathetic stand-in for blood in spellwork (without using animal/human blood).

Sacrifice & Offerings – historically called “Poor Man’s Meat,” it can be used in ritual as a symbolic offering of flesh.

Decay & Transformation – as a parasitic fungus, it works well in workings tied to endings, decomposition, and alchemy of rot → renewal.

Protection & Warding – its parasitic nature and ability to stain oak (a sacred tree) gives it power for protective charms and banishing unwanted energies.

Hidden Wisdom – like many fungi, it thrives in liminal, dark places and can be used in pathworking or spirit communication.

Ritual Uses

• Substitute for blood in spell jars, offerings, or poppets (dried or powdered form).

• Placed at thresholds to ward against parasitic people or energy vampires.

• Used in necromantic rites, decay spells, or shadow work as a charm of transformation.

• Paired with oak magick, since it often grows from oak, it amplifies oak’s protective and ancestral energies.

• Altar Offering for deities who demand flesh/blood offerings but where you prefer a symbolic or vegetarian option.

  
  

Witch’s Note: Beefsteak fungus is rare and not always easy to source. If you don’t want to harvest it, you can work with imagery (photos, drawings, sigils of its likeness), or meditate on its lore, the “bleeding flesh” of the forest. To me the Beefsteak fungus is a fierce protector, a warning to others to respect your boundaries.