STATUS EFFECT HARMFUL NO POTION Present since 1.14 or earlier

Wither effect in Minecraft

Wither drains your health over time and turns your hearts black. Unlike Poison, it can kill you. It comes from Wither Skeletons, the Wither boss, the Wither Rose and Suspicious Stew made with that flower.

At a glance

Type: Harmful
Sources: Wither Rose, Wither Skeleton, Wither
Removed by: Milk, dying

How to get Wither

UseWither Rose

Suspicious Stew · 7 s

Applied byWither Skeleton

Applied byWither

How to get rid of Wither

Removed byMilk Bucket

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

Command

Give Wither for 60 seconds/effect →

/effect give @s minecraft:wither 60 0

Remove Wither/effect →

/effect clear @s minecraft:wither

Where you get Wither

Wither Skeletons in Nether Fortresses: their melee hits apply it.
The Wither: its exploding skulls apply it.
The Wither Rose: walking into one applies it to players and most mobs. Any mob killed by the Wither drops one.
Suspicious Stew made with a Wither Rose.

Why it is worse than Poison

Poison stops at half a heart; Wither does not. Black hearts also make it hard to read how much health you have left. In a fortress, a few hits from different skeletons can stack up and finish you off, so back away and heal before your hearts run low.

How to get rid of it

Drink a Milk Bucket: it removes Wither at once, along with every other effect. Keep one in your hotbar for fortress trips and the Wither fight. A Honey Bottle does not help, since it only cures Poison. If you would rather keep your other effects, outheal it with a Potion of Regeneration or a Golden Apple. Wither Skeletons and the Wither themselves are immune.

✓ Checked in Java Edition 26.3 · updated 1 November 2026