Updated 25 October 2026. Facts on this page come from minecraft.wiki, minecraft.net and the live Artemis PvP server; sources are listed at the bottom.
Absorption Effect in Minecraft: Causes and Cures
Absorption gives you extra yellow hearts on top of your health bar: 2 hearts (4 health) per level. Damage takes the yellow hearts first. You get it from golden apples, enchanted golden apples and totems of undying. Once the yellow hearts are gone they do not come back; the effect ends as soon as they are used up.
What gives Absorption?
| Cause | Notes |
|---|---|
| Golden apple | Absorption I |
| Enchanted golden apple | Absorption IV |
| Totem of undying | Absorption II when it saves you |
Every effect in the game: status effects.
What does Absorption do?
The yellow hearts work as a shield; they cannot be healed back by Regeneration. Withers and ender dragons are immune. See golden apples.
How do you remove or counter it?
Milk removes it, so do not drink milk right after a golden apple. In PvP, eat a golden apple before a fight for the head start. Most effects show an icon in your inventory and at the top right of the screen, with the time left; the /effect command can give or clear any of them.
More about Absorption
A golden apple's Absorption I adds 2 yellow hearts and an enchanted golden apple's Absorption IV adds 8. The yellow hearts appear above your red ones and go first when you take damage. Absorption levels never add up: a golden apple eaten during an enchanted apple's Absorption IV does not lower it, and a second golden apple only refreshes Absorption I, so space them out.
Status effects come from potions, food, beacons, conduits, mobs and blocks. Each has a level and a timer, and most can be cleared by drinking milk; beacon and conduit effects keep refreshing while you stay in range, so they never run out there.
Tips
Absorption does not raise your maximum health; for that see Health Boost. Related: totems of undying.
Frequently asked questions
How many hearts does Absorption give?
2 extra hearts per level.
Sources
Every fact on this page was checked against these pages; the wording is ours.