Healing

Healing is the mechanic of regaining lost health

Natural regeneration

Natural healing can be deactivated using the command /gamerule naturalRegeneration false or from the world option.

Hunger

Whenever a player's hunger is 18 ( × 9) or higher, they regenerate 1 every 4 seconds. This increases the player's exhaustion by 6, of which 4 cost 1 () hunger. If existing, the player's saturation is used up first.

Saturation healing

This feature is exclusive to Java Edition. 

If the player's hunger bar is completely filled and they have leftover saturation, this saturation gets drained, healing at a rate of 2 every second. Just as with the hunger-based regeneration, every 1 regenerated deducts 1.5 saturation. With the maximum amount of 20 saturation, the player can rapidly regenerate up to 13 × 6.5.

Peaceful difficulty

When the difficulty is set to Peaceful, the player regenerates at a standard rate of 1 per second, additionally with 1 every 4 seconds as the player's hunger bar is filled. Chorus fruit, golden apples, honey bottles, and suspicious stew can be eaten even when the hunger bar is full, increasing the player's regeneration even further. On the other hand, this also causes the player to lose saturation even when changing from other difficulty levels to Peaceful mode.

Artificial regeneration

Potions

The player can drink a potion to regain health immediately or over time.

Potion of Healing

The potion of Healing instantly regenerates 4. If it gets amplified with glowstone, this value increases to 8. In the upcoming Combat Tests, it instantly heals 6 per level.

Brewing scheme:

Potion	Ingredients	Scheme	Effect	Duration (in minutes)
Potion of Healing	Glistering melon slice + Awkward potion		Regenerates 4 per potion.	Instant

It can also be turned into a lingering potion that heals up to 10 when the player is inside an area effect. Glowstone amplifies healing up to 20 × 10.

Brewing scheme:

Potion	Ingredients	Scheme	Effect	Duration (in minutes)
Lingering Potion of Healing	Dragon's Breath + Splash Potion of Healing		Regenerates 2 per second.	Instant Health 0:05

Potion of Regeneration

The potion of Regeneration heals 1 every 2.5 seconds over 45 seconds, resulting in 18 × 9 in total. Amplifying the potion with glowstone increases this rate to 1 every 1.25 seconds for 0:22 seconds, whereas redstone increases the duration to 1:30‌^{[JE only]}/2:00‌^{[BE only]} minutes, restores 36 × 18‌^{[JE only]} / 48 × 24‌^{[BE only]}

Brewing scheme:

In Bedrock Edition Adding gunpowder to make splash potion decreases its duration, making healing less effective. Splash potion of regeneration heals 1 every 2.5 seconds over 33 seconds, resulting in 13 × 6.5 in total. Amplifying the potion with glowstone increases this rate to 1 every 1.25 seconds for 0:16 seconds, whereas redstone increases the duration to 1:30 minutes, restores 36 × 18.

Adding Dragon Breath on splash potion to make lingering potion. Lingering potion of regeneration heals 1 every 2.5 seconds over 11 seconds, resulting in 4 in total. Amplifying the potion with glowstone increases this rate to 1 every 1.25 seconds for 0.5 seconds, whereas redstone increases the duration to 0:22‌^{[JE only]} / 0:30‌^{[BE only]} seconds, restores 8‌^{[JE only]}12 × 6‌^{[BE only]}.

Tipped arrow

Tipped arrow shots from a bow, crossbow, or dispenser inflict arrow damage and a status effect. Arrows of healing give the same effect as its potion (4 for an arrow of healing I, and 8 for an arrow of healing II). Regeneration I arrows last 5 seconds (restores 2), the extended regeneration I arrows last 0:11‌^{[JE only]} / 0:15‌^{[BE only]} seconds (restores 4‌^{[JE only]} / 6‌^{[BE only]}), and arrows of regeneration II give regeneration II for 0:02 seconds (restores 2). However, arrow damage decreases or sometimes even nullifies the health recovered unless a weak bow shot is used or the player is wearing good armor.

Golden apple

A golden apple can heal the player in different ways:

• Both golden apples refill 4 () hunger.
• They provide 9.6 saturation, which can be drained for 6 quickly if the player's hunger bar is filled.
• Similar to a potion, a golden apple provides the Regeneration status effect. A normal golden apple gives Regeneration II for 5 seconds, and an enchanted golden apple for 20 seconds, resulting in 4 regenerated from a normal golden apple and 16 × 8 from an enchanted one. In Bedrock Edition, enchanted apple gives regeneration V for 30 seconds, which enough to recover full health in a few seconds. The enchanted golden apple also gives the status effects Fire Resistance and Resistance for 5 minutes.
• A normal golden apple can be crafted by 8 gold ingots, and a regular apple, and can be found in generated chests. The enchanted golden apple cannot be crafted, and are found exclusively in generated chests.

Totem of undying

When used, a totem of undying prevents the player's death and provides Regeneration II for 45 seconds, restoring 36 × 18. It also gives 40 seconds of Fire Resistance II‌^{[BE only]} and 5 seconds of Absorption II.

Suspicious stew

• Suspicious stew refills 6 () hunger.
• It provides 7.2 saturation.
• If made from oxeye daisy gives 8 seconds of regeneration I (restores 3).

Beacon

When a beacon is upgraded to the highest level, it can be configured to provide the Regeneration status effect. As long as a player is within the radius of such a beacon, they regenerate 1 every 2.5 seconds.

Mob healing

In contrast to the player, most mobs don't heal by themselves. Nevertheless, there are several ways to heal animals and monsters.

Potions

Most mobs are healed by potions of Healing and Regeneration just like the player.

On the other hand, undead mobs take damage from these potions, and healing them requires a potion of Harming. Potions of Regeneration or Poison don't affect undead mobs at all.

Regeneration

Rideable animals like horses, donkeys, mules, skeleton horses and llamas automatically regenerate at a slow rate of about 2 per minute.

Spider

In Java Edition, spiders on Hard difficulty can spawn with permanent positive status effects, which can include regeneration, making the spider gradually recover health.

Villager

Villagers gain 10 seconds of regeneration when new trades are unlocked. Additionally in Bedrock Edition, villagers recover health when waking up from bed every morning.

Iron golem

Iron golems can be healed using iron ingots by right-clicking on them, restoring their health by 25 × 12.5. This cannot be done using iron nuggets or iron blocks.

Witch

Witches use potions of Healing to heal themselves. Additionally, witches throw splash potions of Healing or Regeneration at illagers during raids.‌^{[Java Edition only]}

Feeding

Some animals can also be fed in order to recover a set amount of hitpoints. The following animals can be fed:

Animal	Maximum Health	Food	Healing
Tamed Wolf	20 × 10	Pufferfish‌[BE only] Tropical Fish‌[BE only]	1
		Raw Cod‌[BE only] Raw Salmon‌[BE only] Raw Mutton	2
		Raw Chicken	1‌[JE only] 2‌[BE only]
		Raw Porkchop Raw Beef Raw Rabbit	2‌[JE only] 3‌[BE only]
		Rotten Flesh	2‌[JE only] 4‌[BE only]
		Cooked Rabbit	2‌[JE only] 5‌[BE only]
		Cooked Cod‌[BE only]	5
		Cooked Chicken	1‌[JE only] 6‌[BE only]
		Cooked Mutton	2‌[JE only] 6‌[BE only]
		Cooked Salmon‌[BE only]	6
		Cooked PorkchopSteak	2‌[JE only] 8‌[BE only]
		Rabbit Stew‌[BE only]	10
Horse Donkey Mule	15 × 7.5 to 30 × 15	Sugar	1
		Wheat	2
		Apple	3
		Golden Carrot	4
		Golden Apple	10
		Hay Bale	20 × 10
Llama	15 × 7.5 to 30 × 15	Wheat	2
		Hay Bale	10
Tamed Cat	10	Raw Cod Raw Salmon	2

Feeding wolf pups not only restores lost health but can also increase their total health from the usual 8 up to a maximum of 20 × 10.

Boss healing

Ender dragon

The ender dragon gets healed by the end crystals on the obsidian pillars in the End. If a crystal gets destroyed during the healing phase, though, the dragon takes 10 (5 hearts) damage instead.

Wither

The wither permanently regenerates its health. If an undead mob (including a wither) gets hit by a blue wither skull, they also get healed by the provided Wither effect.

History

Java Edition Infdev
20100227-1					Added the golden apple, which heals 20 × 10.
Java Edition Beta
1.8		Pre-release			Added hunger and saturation. Food now refills the hunger bar, instead of directly recovering health.
					Golden apples now give Regeneration I for 30 seconds instead of 20 × 10.
Java Edition
1.0.0		Beta 1.9 Prerelease 2			Added potions of Healing and Regeneration.
1.3.1		12w21a			Added a second kind of golden apples that can be crafted using blocks of gold. It provides Regeneration IV for 30 seconds and Resistance I and Fire Resistance for 5 minutes.
1.4.2		12w32a			Added beacons. They can be configured to provide Regeneration I.
1.6.1		13w16a			Added horses, which regenerate slowly by themselves.
					They can be fed using sugar, wheat, apples, golden carrots and golden apples.
		13w23a			Natural health regeneration now consumes hunger.
					Added game rule naturalRegeneration.
1.8		14w26c			Hay bales can now be fed to horses, healing them by 20 × 10.
1.9		15w37a			The enchanted golden apple now provides Regeneration II instead of Regeneration V, as well as Absorption IV instead of Absorption I.
		15w40a			Health now regenerate based on your saturation.
		15w44a			Enchanted golden apples can no longer be crafted, but are found only in desert temples, strongholds, and mineshafts.
1.11		16w32a			Exhaustion values changed, Healing now takes even more Hunger.
		16w39a			Added llamas, which regenerate health slowly.