diff --git a/packages/trie/benchmarks/engines/level.ts b/packages/trie/benchmarks/engines/level.ts
index fb4a8fcacc..73623019d6 100644
--- a/packages/trie/benchmarks/engines/level.ts
+++ b/packages/trie/benchmarks/engines/level.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
 // eslint-disable-next-line implicit-dependencies/no-implicit
-import { isTruthy } from '@ethereumjs/util'
 import { MemoryLevel } from 'memory-level'
 
 import type { BatchDBOp, DB } from '../../src/types'
@@ -29,17 +28,18 @@ export class LevelDB implements DB {
    * @inheritDoc
    */
   async get(key: Buffer): Promise<Buffer | null> {
-    let value = null
+    let value: Buffer | null = null
     try {
       value = await this._leveldb.get(key, ENCODING_OPTS)
     } catch (error: any) {
-      if (isTruthy(error.notFound)) {
-        // not found, returning null
-      } else {
+      // https://github.com/Level/abstract-level/blob/915ad1317694d0ce8c580b5ab85d81e1e78a3137/abstract-level.js#L309
+      // This should be `true` if the error came from LevelDB
+      // so we can check for `NOT true` to identify any non-404 errors
+      if (error.notFound !== true) {
         throw error
       }
     }
-    return value as Buffer
+    return value
   }
 
   /**
diff --git a/packages/trie/recipes/level-legacy.ts b/packages/trie/recipes/level-legacy.ts
index 515b315301..c06c008e0a 100644
--- a/packages/trie/recipes/level-legacy.ts
+++ b/packages/trie/recipes/level-legacy.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-import { isTruthy } from '@ethereumjs/util'
 import level from 'level-mem'
 
 import type { BatchDBOp, DB } from '@ethereumjs/trie'
@@ -14,17 +13,18 @@ export class LevelDB implements DB {
   }
 
   async get(key: Buffer): Promise<Buffer | null> {
-    let value = null
+    let value: Buffer | null = null
     try {
       value = await this._leveldb.get(key, ENCODING_OPTS)
     } catch (error: any) {
-      if (isTruthy(error.notFound)) {
-        // not found, returning null
-      } else {
+      // https://github.com/Level/abstract-level/blob/915ad1317694d0ce8c580b5ab85d81e1e78a3137/abstract-level.js#L309
+      // This should be `true` if the error came from LevelDB
+      // so we can check for `NOT true` to identify any non-404 errors
+      if (error.notFound !== true) {
         throw error
       }
     }
-    return value as Buffer
+    return value
   }
 
   async put(key: Buffer, val: Buffer): Promise<void> {
diff --git a/packages/trie/recipes/level.ts b/packages/trie/recipes/level.ts
index 7b26011365..62ac888cdb 100644
--- a/packages/trie/recipes/level.ts
+++ b/packages/trie/recipes/level.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-import { isTruthy } from '@ethereumjs/util'
 import { MemoryLevel } from 'memory-level'
 
 import type { BatchDBOp, DB } from '@ethereumjs/trie'
@@ -16,17 +15,18 @@ export class LevelDB implements DB {
   }
 
   async get(key: Buffer): Promise<Buffer | null> {
-    let value = null
+    let value: Buffer | null = null
     try {
       value = await this._leveldb.get(key, ENCODING_OPTS)
     } catch (error: any) {
-      if (isTruthy(error.notFound)) {
-        // not found, returning null
-      } else {
+      // https://github.com/Level/abstract-level/blob/915ad1317694d0ce8c580b5ab85d81e1e78a3137/abstract-level.js#L309
+      // This should be `true` if the error came from LevelDB
+      // so we can check for `NOT true` to identify any non-404 errors
+      if (error.notFound !== true) {
         throw error
       }
     }
-    return value as Buffer
+    return value
   }
 
   async put(key: Buffer, val: Buffer): Promise<void> {
diff --git a/packages/trie/src/trie/trie.ts b/packages/trie/src/trie/trie.ts
index 06eb71c8a4..3e457e7de8 100644
--- a/packages/trie/src/trie/trie.ts
+++ b/packages/trie/src/trie/trie.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { RLP_EMPTY_STRING, isFalsy, isTruthy } from '@ethereumjs/util'
+import { RLP_EMPTY_STRING } from '@ethereumjs/util'
 import { keccak256 } from 'ethereum-cryptography/keccak'
 
 import { CheckpointDB, MapDB } from '../db'
@@ -97,9 +97,9 @@ export class Trie {
   /**
    * Gets and/or Sets the current root of the `trie`
    */
-  root(value?: Buffer): Buffer {
+  root(value?: Buffer | null): Buffer {
     if (value !== undefined) {
-      if (isFalsy(value)) {
+      if (value === null) {
         value = this.EMPTY_TRIE_ROOT
       }
 
@@ -137,7 +137,7 @@ export class Trie {
    */
   async get(key: Buffer, throwIfMissing = false): Promise<Buffer | null> {
     const { node, remaining } = await this.findPath(this.appliedKey(key), throwIfMissing)
-    let value = null
+    let value: Buffer | null = null
     if (node && remaining.length === 0) {
       value = node.value()
     }
@@ -157,7 +157,7 @@ export class Trie {
     }
 
     // If value is empty, delete
-    if (isFalsy(value) || value.toString() === '') {
+    if (value === null || value.length === 0) {
       return await this.del(key)
     }
 
@@ -426,9 +426,9 @@ export class Trie {
       stack: TrieNode[]
     ) => {
       // branchNode is the node ON the branch node not THE branch node
-      if (isFalsy(parentNode) || parentNode instanceof BranchNode) {
+      if (parentNode === null || parentNode === undefined || parentNode instanceof BranchNode) {
         // branch->?
-        if (isTruthy(parentNode)) {
+        if (parentNode !== null && parentNode !== undefined) {
           stack.push(parentNode)
         }
 
@@ -460,9 +460,9 @@ export class Trie {
           stack.push(parentNode)
         } else {
           const branchNodeKey = branchNode.key()
-          // branch node is an leaf or extension and parent node is an exstention
+          // branch node is an leaf or extension and parent node is an extension
           // add two keys together
-          // dont push the parent node
+          // don't push the parent node
           branchNodeKey.unshift(branchKey)
           key = key.concat(branchNodeKey)
           parentKey = parentKey.concat(branchNodeKey)
@@ -475,8 +475,8 @@ export class Trie {
       return key
     }
 
-    let lastNode = stack.pop() as TrieNode
-    if (isFalsy(lastNode)) throw new Error('missing last node')
+    let lastNode = stack.pop()
+    if (lastNode === undefined) throw new Error('missing last node')
     let parentNode = stack.pop()
     const opStack: BatchDBOp[] = []
 
@@ -633,7 +633,7 @@ export class Trie {
   async batch(ops: BatchDBOp[]): Promise<void> {
     for (const op of ops) {
       if (op.type === 'put') {
-        if (isFalsy(op.value)) {
+        if (op.value === null || op.value === undefined) {
           throw new Error('Invalid batch db operation')
         }
         await this.put(op.key, op.value)
@@ -657,7 +657,7 @@ export class Trie {
       } as PutBatch
     })
 
-    if (this.root() === this.EMPTY_TRIE_ROOT && isTruthy(opStack[0])) {
+    if (this.root() === this.EMPTY_TRIE_ROOT && opStack[0] !== undefined && opStack[0] !== null) {
       this.root(opStack[0].key)
     }
 
diff --git a/packages/trie/test/official.spec.ts b/packages/trie/test/official.spec.ts
index 1ad27b7ba7..5d93fc4c57 100644
--- a/packages/trie/test/official.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/trie/test/official.spec.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-import { isTruthy } from '@ethereumjs/util'
 import * as tape from 'tape'
 
 import { Trie } from '../src'
@@ -13,9 +12,9 @@ tape('official tests', async function (t) {
     const expect = jsonTests[testName].root
     for (const input of inputs) {
       for (let i = 0; i < 2; i++) {
-        if (isTruthy(input[i]) && input[i].slice(0, 2) === '0x') {
+        if (input[i] !== undefined && input[i] !== null && input[i].slice(0, 2) === '0x') {
           input[i] = Buffer.from(input[i].slice(2), 'hex')
-        } else if (isTruthy(input[i]) && typeof input[i] === 'string') {
+        } else if (typeof input[i] === 'string') {
           input[i] = Buffer.from(input[i])
         }
         await trie.put(Buffer.from(input[0]), input[1])
@@ -42,7 +41,7 @@ tape('official tests any order', async function (t) {
         key = Buffer.from(key.slice(2), 'hex')
       }
 
-      if (isTruthy(val) && val.slice(0, 2) === '0x') {
+      if (val !== undefined && val !== null && val.slice(0, 2) === '0x') {
         val = Buffer.from(val.slice(2), 'hex')
       }
 
diff --git a/packages/trie/test/trie/secure.spec.ts b/packages/trie/test/trie/secure.spec.ts
index 66b8e70d7c..1bd5ba52a5 100644
--- a/packages/trie/test/trie/secure.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/trie/test/trie/secure.spec.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-import { isTruthy } from '@ethereumjs/util'
 import { createHash } from 'crypto'
 import * as tape from 'tape'
 
@@ -41,7 +40,10 @@ tape('SecureTrie', function (t) {
 
     it.test('empty values', async function (t) {
       for (const row of jsonTests.emptyValues.in) {
-        const val = isTruthy(row[1]) ? Buffer.from(row[1]) : (null as unknown as Buffer)
+        const val =
+          row[1] !== undefined && row[1] !== null
+            ? Buffer.from(row[1])
+            : (null as unknown as Buffer)
         await trie.put(Buffer.from(row[0]), val)
       }
       t.equal('0x' + trie.root().toString('hex'), jsonTests.emptyValues.root)
@@ -51,7 +53,10 @@ tape('SecureTrie', function (t) {
     it.test('branchingTests', async function (t) {
       trie = new Trie({ useKeyHashing: true, db: new MapDB() })
       for (const row of jsonTests.branchingTests.in) {
-        const val = isTruthy(row[1]) ? Buffer.from(row[1]) : (null as unknown as Buffer)
+        const val =
+          row[1] !== undefined && row[1] !== null
+            ? Buffer.from(row[1])
+            : (null as unknown as Buffer)
         await trie.put(Buffer.from(row[0]), val)
       }
       t.equal('0x' + trie.root().toString('hex'), jsonTests.branchingTests.root)
@@ -61,7 +66,7 @@ tape('SecureTrie', function (t) {
     it.test('jeff', async function (t) {
       for (const row of jsonTests.jeff.in) {
         let val = row[1]
-        if (isTruthy(val)) {
+        if (val !== undefined && val !== null) {
           val = Buffer.from(row[1].slice(2), 'hex')
         }
         await trie.put(Buffer.from(row[0].slice(2), 'hex'), val)