Potion of Poison: Recipe and Why It Can't Kill
Brew a Potion of Poison by adding a spider eye to an Awkward Potion. Durations on both editions, why it leaves half a heart, and which mobs ignore it.
A Potion of Poison drains health over time but always leaves the target with at least half a heart. Brew it by adding a spider eye to an Awkward Potion. Base duration is 45 seconds, and the extended and level II versions differ slightly between Java and Bedrock.
Durations
| Version | Java | Bedrock |
|---|---|---|
| Poison I | 0:45 | 0:45 |
| Poison I + redstone | 1:30 | 2:00 |
| Poison II (glowstone) | 0:21.6 | 0:22.5 |
| Lingering | 1/4 of the above | 1/4 of the above |
Poison I deals 1 damage every 1.25 seconds. Level II ticks roughly twice as fast. Over its full duration, basic Poison I does up to 36 damage, which is more than a full health bar. It just can’t finish the job.
Brewing a Potion of Poison
Water bottles plus nether wart make Awkward Potions. Add a spider eye. That’s it. Spiders drop spider eyes at night, and witches drop them too, so Poison is one of the cheapest potions you can make.
Most players brew it only as a stepping stone, because Poison + fermented spider eye = Potion of Harming. That route skips the gold you’d need for the Healing route.
Why Poison can’t kill
The effect stops dealing damage when the target hits 1 health point (half a heart). On players that’s dangerous rather than deadly. On mobs it softens them up before you finish them with a sword. It’s a nice way to weaken a mob you want to catch alive.
Mobs it doesn’t affect
- All undead: zombies, skeletons, drowned, phantoms, wither skeletons and the Wither.
- Spiders and cave spiders.
Cave spiders poison you with every bite on Normal and Hard difficulty, which is how most players first meet the effect.
Getting rid of it
A milk bucket clears it along with every other effect, good or bad. A honey bottle removes only Poison and also gives you a bit of food, which makes it the cleaner cure if you’re also running Fire Resistance or Weakness on purpose. See the brewing guide for setting up a brewing station that turns out both Poison and Harming in one session.
Common questions
Can poison kill you in Minecraft?
No. Poison stops when you reach half a heart. It can still set you up to be finished off by anything else, including a fall.
How do you cure poison?
Drink a bucket of milk, which removes all effects, or a honey bottle, which removes only Poison. Otherwise wait it out.
Which mobs are immune to poison?
Undead mobs such as zombies and skeletons, plus spiders and cave spiders. Throwing Poison at them does nothing.
Sources & verification
Facts on this page are checked against these references and in-game behavior for the stated edition(s). how we verify.
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