STATUS EFFECT BENEFICIAL NO POTION Present since 1.14 or earlier

Health Boost effect in Minecraft

Health Boost raises your maximum health by 2 hearts per level. The new hearts start empty, so you have to heal to fill them. In Java Edition no food, potion or block gives it: it only comes from commands.

At a glance

Type: Beneficial
Sources: Commands only.
Removed by: Milk, dying

How to get Health Boost

Commands only.

How to get rid of Health Boost

Removed byMilk Bucket

Drink a Milk Bucket: it clears every effect. Dying also removes it.

Command

Give Health Boost for 60 seconds/effect →

/effect give @s minecraft:health_boost 60 0

Remove Health Boost/effect →

/effect clear @s minecraft:health_boost

What Health Boost actually does

The effect adds empty heart containers to your health bar. Until you heal, they are only room for more health. Natural regeneration with a full hunger bar fills them, and so do a Potion of Regeneration, a Potion of Healing or a Golden Apple. When the effect ends, the extra hearts disappear along with the health they held.

Health Boost or Absorption?

The two are easy to mix up. Absorption gives yellow hearts that arrive full but never come back once they are lost. Health Boost gives red hearts that arrive empty but can be refilled as often as you like while the effect lasts. Over a long fight, Health Boost is worth more; for a single burst of damage, Absorption is.

How to use it

With no Survival source, Health Boost is a tool for servers and adventure maps: a tougher class, a reward after a boss, a harder arena. Give it with the command shown above, together with Saturation or Regeneration so the new hearts fill straight away. A Milk Bucket removes it, and every heart it added goes with it, so warn players before they drink one.

✓ Checked in Java Edition 26.3 · updated 1 November 2026