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How to Cure All Diseases in Skyrim and Complete Disease List

How to Cure All Diseases in Skyrim and Complete Disease List

Playing as the Dragonborn in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim will let you explore and adventure as you please while completing quests and facing your enemies.

However, you may also have to deal with diseases during your adventures, a mechanic introduced in the Elder Scrolls saga from its humble origins in Arena.

To cure diseases in Skyrim, the player can use potions, activate a shrine, or talk to a Vigilant of Stendarr. Alternatively, turning into a vampire or werewolf will also cure the player from all other diseases.

If the player wants to prevent contracting any diseases, it’s possible to use specific items that increase the character’s disease resistance to 100%. 

Learn more about the methods to cure diseases below.

Skyrim Disease Menu
Skyrim Disease Menu
DiseaseOriginEffect
AtaxiaFrostbite Spiders
Skeevers
Slaughterfish
Traps
Lockpicking and Pickpocketing are 25% harder
Bloodspring
(interactive item)
Found in Redwater Den at The Rift holdChance to get any disease if the player isn’t a vampire
Bone Break FeaverBears
Traps
Reduce Stamina by 25 points
Brain RotHagravens
Traps
Reduce Magicka by 25 points
DroopsAsh HoppersReduced One and Two-Handed damage by 15%
LycanthropyThe Companions’ quest lineTurns your character into a werewolf
RattlesChaurus50% slower Stamina regeneration
RockjointBears
Foxes
Horkers
Traps
Wolves   
Reduced melee weapon’s effectiveness by 25%
Sanguinare VampirisBloodspring
Lord Harkon
Serana
Vampires
Turns your character into a vampire
WitbaneSabre Cats
Traps
50% slower Magicka regeneration

How to Cure Diseases in Skyrim

Players can contract diseases while battling mobs or activating traps in Skyrim.

To check whether you have any active disease, you can go to the Magic tab from the character’s menu to see a list of active effects.

Diseases are highlighted in red and will show a brief description of their debuff.

There are a total of 4 methods in Skyrim to cure the player of any disease.

Method 1: Potions

Most merchants and apothecaries around Skyrim will have at least one potion of Cure Disease in stock. This will instantly remove any disease when consumed.

You can also craft the potion themselves with the following ingredients:

IngredientEffects (in order)Source
Charred Skeever HideRestore Stamina
Cure Disease
Resist Poison
Restore Health
Roasted Skeevers over a fire. Common loot in bandit lair and giant encampments
ChokeweedWeakness to Frost
Restore Stamina
Cure Disease
Damage Magicka 
Purchased from Khajiit caravans with the Rare Curios Creation
Felsaad Tern FeathersRestore Health
Fortify Light Armor
Cure Disease
Resist Magic
Random loot in Raven Rock, or looting Felsaad Terns in Solstheim
Hawk FeathersCure Disease
Fortify Light Armor
Fortify One-handed
Fortify Sneak
Looting hawks, or dropped by hostile NPCs 
Hunger TongueWeakness to Fire
Cure Disease
Cure Poison
Fortify Magicka
Purchased from Khajiit caravans with the Rare Curios Creation
Juvenile MudcrabRegenerate Stamina
Fortify Carry Weight
Cure Disease
Fortify Two-handed
Fishing or looted near Mudcrab areas with the Fishing Creation
Mudcrab ChitinRestore Stamina
Cure Disease
Resist Poison
Resist Fire
Dropped by mudcrabs
Red Kelp Gas BladderRegenerate Stamina
Water breathing
Cure Disease
Fortify Magicka
Purchased from Khajiit caravans with the Rare Curios Creation
Scrib Jelly Regenerate Magicka
Cure Poison
Cure Disease
Regenerate Stamina
Purchased from Khajiit caravans with the Rare Curios Creation
SpadefishRestore Health
Fortify Lockpicking
Fortify Pickpocket
Cure Disease
Fishing in temperate streams when raining with the Fishing Creation
Vampire DustInvisibility
Restore Magicka
Regenerate Health
Cure Disease
Dropped by vampires 
Withering MoonRestore Magicka
Spell Absorption
Fortify Light Armor
Cure Disease
Purchased from Khajiit caravans with the Rare Curios Creation, or found in Solitude Sewers with the Saints & Seducers Creation 

Alternatively, you can consume any raw ingredients with the trait already discovered.

The best ingredient for this purpose is Hawk Feathers since Cure Disease is the first trait you can discover when consuming it.

Killing and looting the bodies of any Silver Hand member is an almost 100% reliant way to obtain Cure Disease potions or ingredients to craft one yourself.

If the player has the Hearthfire DLC, consuming a Garlic Bread will also cure all diseases and only requires Garlic, Butter, and Bread for cooking in any oven.

Read more: Most Expensive Potions & Recipes

Method 2: Visit a Shrine

Shrines are available within cities and can also be crafted in the homesteads added by the Hearthfire DLC.

By interacting with a shrine, you can cure any disease barring lycanthropy and advanced Vampirism.

Shrines will grant you a specific blessing lasting 8 hours and will override any blessings you had from a previous shrine interaction.

Method 3: Visit the Vigilants of Stendarr

The Vigilants of Stendarr is a militant order worshiping Stendarr, the Divine of Mercy, that vehemently rejects any Daedric influence and actively fights against any creature supposing a threat to humans. 

Any Vigilant of Stendarr can cure you of diseases in Skyrim when interacting with them via dialogue, regardless if you find them in their base or elsewhere on the map.

Their headquarters is The Hall of the Vigilant, located south of Dawnstar.

Method 4: Transform into a Werewolf or Vampire

Curiously enough, if the player can turn into a werewolf or vampire, they’ll get instantly cured of all diseases.

Note that lycanthropy and vampirism cancel each other out, meaning that the player cannot possess both transformations at the same time.

Skyrim Stendarr Vigilant Shrine
Skyrim Stendarr Vigilant Shrine

How to Cure Lycanthropy in Skyrim

If you want to get rid of your werewolf transformation, you must complete the Companions’ quest line.

Here, the player will have to slay the Witches of Glenmoril to sacrifice their heads to the Flame of the Harbinger inside Ysgramor’s Tomb.

You can gather additional heads before returning to Kodlak to complete the ritual on your character.

Once you activate the Flame of the Harbinger, his Wolf Spirit will appear and you must slay it to cure him of his lycanthropy.

After this, you can choose to throw an additional head into the fire to summon your Wolf Spirit and slay it.

If you want to recover the lycanthropy transformation, you must speak to Aela the Huntress to complete the process once again.

How to Cure Vampirism in Skyrim

If your character has reached stage 4 of vampirism, they’ll have to complete the quest Rising at Dawn by talking to any innkeeper or Dawnguard member.

You will need to talk to Falion, located in Morthal. When interacting with him, he will require a filled Black Soul Gem to complete the ritual.

After you’ve delivered the soul gem, you must meet with Falion again in Morthal at dawn (between 5 and 6:30 AM in-game time) to complete the ritual for curing vampirism.

This process can be done again if the Dragonborn contracts the disease in the future.

Read more: How To Find & Use Soul Gems

Skyrim Vampire Werewolf Transformation

Diseases Effects in Skyrim Survival Mode

Skyrim’s Survival Mode was introduced in the Anniversary Upgrade, offering additional challenges like reduced carry weight and no fast travel.

It also introduces new status and weather effects and tweaks the way diseases affect the Dragonborn.

These diseases can evolve into a severe and crippling state, each worsening their debuffs on your character.

DiseaseDescriptionSevere DescriptionCrippling DescriptionNotes
AtaxiaPicking locks and picking pockets is 25% harderPicking locks and picking pockets is 50% harderPicking locks and picking pockets is 75% harder
Bone Break Fever25 Stamina points drained Stamina is drained 50 pointsStamina is drained 75 points
Brain RotMagicka has drained 25 pointsMagicka is drained 50 pointsMagicka is drained 75 points
Brown RotLight and Heavy Armor prevents 25% less damage. Sleeping is 25% less restfulLight and Heavy Armor prevents 50% less damage. Sleeping is 50% less restful Light and Heavy Armor prevents 75% less damage. Sleeping is 75% less restfulIntroduced by Survival Mode

Caused by any Draugr
DroopsOne-handed and two-handed weapon damage is 15% lowerOne-handed and two-handed weapon damage is 30% lowerOne-handed and two-handed weapon damage is 45% lower
Food PoisoningMagicka and Stamina recover 50% slower, and food no longer restores Health for 3 daysSame effects

Same effectsCaused by consuming Raw Meat


Argonians and Khajiit are immune to this disease thanks to their race perk in Survival
GreensporePrices are 25% worse

Persuasion and intimidation is 25% harder
Prices are 50% worse

Persuasion and intimidation is 50% harder
Prices are 75% worse

Persuasion and intimidation is 75% harder
Added by Survival Mode

Caused by slaughterfish
GutwormStamina regeneration is decreased by 25%

Food restores 25% less hunger
Stamina regeneration is decreased by 50%

Food restores 50% less hunger
Stamina regeneration is decreased by 75%

Food restores 75% less hunger
Added by Survival Mode

Caused by Trolls
RattlesStamina recovers half as fastStamina recovers 75% slowerStamina no longer recovers
RockjointOne-handed and two-handed weapon damage is 25% less effectiveOne-handed and two-handed weapon damage is 50% less effectiveOne-handed and two-handed weapon damage is 75% less effective
WitbaneMagicka recovers half as fastMagicka recovers 25% as fastMagicka no longer recovers

Alternatively, your character can suffer several afflictions depending on whether they’ve neglected sleep, hunger, or are exposed to excessive cold. 

  • Addled will cause 30% slower Magicka and Stamina regeneration for 24 hours with lack of sleep.
  • Frostbitten will make Lockpicking and Pickpocket attempts 30% harder, and bows will do 30% less damage for 24 hours when exposed to excessive cold.
  • Weakened will make your melee attacks and blocking attempts 30% less effective for 24 hours with hunger.

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